The Slytherin Deception
by kitten1234
Summary: Something is up at Hogwarts. The resident bad boy is behaving very strangely and Ginny Weasley begins to realise that sometimes people really aren't the way they seem to be. DG BL
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

A trolley teetered on one wheel as it was hurled round the corner of a brick pillar, its parcels and suitcases swaying precariously to one side and causing the snowy owl in the large cage to screech loudly.

'Sorry Hedwig,' panted Harry breathlessly as several curious heads turned. Most Londoners had never seen an owl, let alone one in King's Cross Station accompanied by a scruffy-looking dark-haired boy of sixteen or seventeen and presumably all his worldly possessions. Some assumed he was on the run; others, that he was part of a circus; a few more enlightened onlookers were aware of the wizarding world and smiled at the boy who was blatantly late for the Hogwarts Express.

Harry slid to a halt before the appropriate pillar and, after a surreptitious glance around him, leant sideways in a casual manner. The air around him blurred and a new platform came into view, complete with a whole contingent of wizards and witches saying goodbye to their families.

Harry had spent the last week with the Dursleys, to his utter dismay, and theirs. This had meant that he then had to get himself to the station without magic; this had proved more difficult than he had thought due to the size of the luggage he had brought with him. He hoped next year not to be going back to the Dursleys at all and had therefore gathered up all his possessions.

A shrill whistle sounded, and a slim red-haired girl appeared through the steam from the train.

'Hurry up, Harry, I'll give you a hand with your stuff,' she said whilst grabbing Hedwig and his Firebolt. 'Ron and Hermione are doing prefect-y things and sent me to help you.'

He smiled at the mention of his best friends, now sixth years at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, and managed to manoeuvre his trunk through the door of the Express without injuring himself or Ginny.

'I saved the others a compartment, it's just down here,' Ginny called out, beckoning him to follow her. Harry did so, grinning at her bossiness as she continued to exclaim at the heaviness of his luggage, his lateness, and the way his hair stood on end.

'Ginny, I haven't seen you for two months, can I at least have a proper hello before you start nagging me?' he countered. She turned and smiled at him, lighting her face up with a beautiful glow.

'I'm sorry, Harry.' She gave him an awkward bear hug with Hedwig's cage under one arm.

A cough came from behind; Harry's Quidditch rival and general all-round bastard Draco Malfoy sneered at them both as they turned to see who was there. 'Well, well, quite the touching little reunion, Potter,' he commented, giving Ginny a quick up and down. 'If you weren't such a Muggle-loving traitor, Weasley, I might even have a go myself. However, I wouldn't like to think of where you've been before, contaminated by Mudbloods, I imagine; a problem for a worthy pure-blood like myself.' At the mention of Mudbloods, he gave a theatrical shudder.

Harry snorted. 'As if Ginny would have anything to do with you, a slimy, unattractive, ferrety little git; she has better taste.'

He turned his back on the blond Seeker and picked up his abandoned luggage before staggering the last couple of feet to the compartment where Neville and Luna waited. Ginny lagged behind to give Malfoy an evil look then followed Harry, muttering abuse under her breath as she went. As Harry entered the compartment, he tripped on his shoelace and went flying into Neville's lap. Luna started to cackle, and the luminous hat of golden shrubbery she was wearing slipped over her blonde head and lodged around her nose. Ginny found herself standing amongst complete chaos as Harry struggled to get up from his prone position while laughing, Luna tried to push the hat off, and Neville scooped up the kitten that had run off hissing and now was trying to bat Hedwig's extremely disgruntled beak.

Having restored order to the carriage, no one saw a blond head appear, look through the glass door, and leave as silently as he had arrived. Luna's googly eyes still held a trace of merriment as she welcomed Harry back from the holidays. She had grown prettier over the holidays, though she could still be classed as unusual looking, rather than traditionally pretty. Her esoteric ways had not changed either, as the hat had proved. As Ginny had been the one to tug the leafy branches from Luna's head, she asked the question Harry had been dying to ask.

'What on earth is this _for _Luna? It's not another one of those freebies from the Quibbler, is it?' Luna smiled and placed it back on her head.

'Daddy said that Chizpurfles were found on the train over the summer and that this acts as a repellent. They don't like the colour gold, you see'.

Stifling a giggle, Ginny agreed and settled herself into the corner seat next to the other girl. Neville and Harry got into a discussion about Quidditch, as boys are prone to do, and Luna was free to talk to Ginny privately.

'Did you sort out the You-Know-Who issue, Ginny? I know you said you didn't fancy him anymore, but he does seem quite keen on you'. Her normally gentle wispy voice was straight to the point, and the keen glint in her eye showed that Miss Lovegood was in Ravenclaw for a reason.

'If by You-Know-Who you mean the non-evil, best friend of Ron rather than You Know Who, the evil wizard trying to take over the world, then yes, I suppose I have sorted it out,' Ginny rejoined with a cheeky grin. She had also blossomed over the summer, her lithe frame complimented by a shimmering swathe of auburn hair and a pale complexion with freckles dotted across her cheekbones. As her confidence had grown, she was not in need of the security of her crush on the Boy Who Lived, and as she had confided in Luna over the summer, she could now admit that if she did date Harry, it would be weird. Think of all the time she'd have to spend with Ron for a start!

Interrupted by a small meow, Ginny allowed the little kitten to jump onto her lap and stroked it gently.

'Is he yours, Luna?'

'Yes, I thought I'd name him Sev.'

Ginny started to laugh. 'You … you … named your kitten after SNAPE?'

Neville and Harry joined in the laughter, and Ginny started to leak tears of pure hilarity before stuttering, 'Please, can I be the one to let it slip that Luna named her sweet little black cat after the great hook-nosed flapping bat himself?' and then collapsing with laughter again.

Luna justified herself by saying, 'I admire him as a teacher, and I find dark hair very attractive,' which only prompted more laughter; laughter that was interrupted by a sardonic voice from the doorway, 'You may like to get off the train this term.' He swiftly turned on his heel and swept away.

Neville looked confused. 'Was that a Slytherin, Harry? I didn't recognise him.'

'Yeah, Zabini, I think, he's got a poncy first name, Blaise. I thought he was a girl when I first heard it.'

'Nice of him to let us know about the train; very un-Slytherin,' Neville commented, then realised the train had in fact ground to a halt at Hogsmeade station, causing a rushed panic towards the exit.

As the train puffed onwards, all the friends inhaled a deep breath of the fresh air.

'There's definitely something to be said for having your school in the deepest darkest depths of Scotland,' commented Harry as the stunning scenery came into view as the steam cleared. The others agreed and smiled as a girl rushed up, her rosy lips in a broad grin, and flew into Harry's arms.

'Hermione Granger! Where have you been all this time?' he chided her jokingly. Hermione's bushy hair looked even more dishevelled than Harry's and her blush, coupled with Ron's arrival with what looked like lip gloss on his face, allowed Harry to snigger gently and clap Ron on the back.

'Finally ask her out, did you, mate? Well done, it only took you till sixth year.'

Hermione said sniffily, 'Actually, I asked him,' before smiling again as Ron took her small hand in his large one.

'Ah, how sweet!' his youngest sibling jibed, 'Ronniekins has a girlfriend!' She winked almost apologetically at Hermione who might not understand the duties of a sister, as she was an only child.

Ginevra Molly Weasley, a girl of many talents: fiendish with a wand, player of Quidditch and pranks equally. Pure-blooded but sympathetic towards Muggles, kind to animals and people, and more than passingly attractive. She had not escaped notice by other occupants of Hogwarts, including a pair of Slytherins walking down to their dungeon home.

'Saw the Weasel girl again, nice pair of tits on her.'

'Yeah, but I'm more of a legs man myself.'

'Speaking of tits, have you seen Midgen's?'

'Think of the face they're attached to, though.'

'True.'

Their voices faded as they passed round the corner and down a steep set of stone stairs.

Meanwhile, Ginny Weasley, owner of the aforementioned 'nice tits', was spreading out her family quilt across her bed. Her mum had made it for her when all her brothers had left home, and it was made up of contrasting pieces of fabric which signified each brother as well as Arthur and Molly themselves. A simple charm had animated the quilt, and a dragon puffed smoke from its nostrils in the right hand corner, plainly fast asleep. Identical monkeys were playing high up in a tree, a wolf symbolised Bill as it loped across the frozen mountains at the top of the quilt, an owl flew noiselessly over it, and two swans swam side by side. Two dogs gambolled along meadows of flowers, one large and broad, the other lithe and graceful. Such it had always been, the two youngest always together. Although the quilt itself was beautiful, Ginny felt that the fact her mum had taken the time to make it for her, had realised how tough it would be at home alone, really showed the size of heart her mum had. She stroked it one more time before unpacking the final item from her suitcase.

A diary. Not an arcane diary, not one ounce of evil or even anything mildly wicked; she had checked this thoroughly after 'the incident', mostly by prodding it with her wand and yelling 'come out, foul fiend' before taking it to be checked by Hermione. Haven been given the all clear, the silk covered book had been filled with thoughts, sketches, and photographs along with several ideas for stories and bits of homework unfinished. Ginny could freely admit that her writing was unpolished at best, but writing things down seemed to clear her mind. Harry had told her about the Pensieve belonging to Dumbledore and, although the Weasleys had never seen the need for such an expensive item, she could imagine it worked in a similar manner. Putting it in her bag, she went down to the common room to find the others so that they could get to the welcoming feast and witness the Sorting.

'It seems like yesterday when we were getting Sorted,' Hermione sighed, 'and now look at us.'

Ron, still clutching her hand as if she was about to run off, replied jovially, 'You make us sound ancient, Hermione, we've still got a bit of time left.' She sighed again, more deeply.

'It all seemed so easy then, just get the grades and don't piss off Snape too much.'

Harry looked up from the long table they were joining.

'I know what you mean, Hermione; it sometimes feels like an unending battle between me and Voldemort, broken up by detentions with Snape and Hogsmeade visits.' A quiet silence passed between the trio. This maudlin atmosphere greeted Ginny, and she slotted in next to Ron and drew out her diary so she could sketch the teachers at the table. She took great delight in drawing them as they looked and then drawing little caricatures next to them, enhancing features and qualities. She sniggered under her breath as she drew talons peeping out from underneath Snape's robes and Dumbledore clutching a packet of lemon sherbets.

Over at the Slytherin table, Crabbe and Goyle were fighting over a chicken leg in the manner of mangy mutts fighting over a bone. Malfoy cast a dismissive gaze across them and with a wave of his wand banished the chicken completely.

'Such idiots,' he muttered, looking to Zabini for acknowledgement. Blaise nodded and turned his attention to Pansy, who was pouting next to him, unaware her dark hair was trailing in her soup. Pansy was not unattractive, but something about her expression showed the manipulative person that she really was. As this was a quality to be prized in Slytherin, along with social standing, wealth, and cunning, she was the most popular girl by far. However, after a messy break-up from Malfoy over the holidays, she was looking for a new boy-toy to parade, and handsome Blaise, with his wicked grin, dark hair, and blue eyes, was next on her list. He chivalrously removed her hair from the bowl, and with a tap of his wand, removed all traces of carrot and coriander. She simpered coquettishly, and he turned away hastily. Malfoy smiled at the look of horror on Blaise's face; his friend had just unintentionally encouraged Pansy the man-eater!

Dumbledore stood up and clapped loudly.

'Students, this year we have a rather novel situation in that Professor Snape will be helping me to teach Defence against the Dark Arts. I can't understand the current lack of enthusiasm for the Defence against the Dark Arts position –' at this his eyes twinkled behind his eyeglasses – 'however, this will leave us both with a great deal of work to do, so I will be looking for some volunteers from the upper years to help out; this will be hard work, but it will stand you in good stead for the exams.'

Harry watched Hermione's face show her internal battle between access to more knowledge and having to work with Snape, while Ron muttered, 'Can't see anyone stupid enough to do that, don't we spend enough time with Snape as it is without DADA and extra work on top?' Neville grimaced at Ron's comment and sneaked a look at Snape, cowering as his eyes met that gimlet stare.

'You really need to get over that fear, Neville, just turn it into hatred like the rest of us,' whispered Harry slyly.

'I hate him, but I still want to wet myself when he looks at me like that,' Neville whispered back.

The meal finished, the students began to drift back to their common rooms, leaving Ginny still at the Gryffindor table trying to perfect the drawing of the Slytherin table. She had caught the wheedling look in Pansy's eyes, the horror politely hidden on Blaise's beautiful face, and was just starting on Malfoy's facial expression when the man himself appeared behind her.

'Weasley, you seem to have some talent. And here I was thinking you had nothing but rags and an awful reputation to your name.' She slammed the book shut and whirled round, sparks flying from her hazel eyes.

'You are unbelievably rude; we may be monetarily poor, but we have about a million times more love in our family than you'll ever have from your cold heartless parents!'

'Calm down, Weasley, or you'll give yourself an apoplexy,' he replied coolly, unaffected, before sauntering off. Ginny stormed back to the Gryffindor tower angrily and spent the rest of the evening in a huff.

'Been baiting the Weasel again, Draco?' Blaise asked as he draped himself over a sofa in the Slytherin common room. It was empty aside from himself and Malfoy.

'What can I say? She reacts in exactly the same way as her brother and has some brain cells to back it up. I find it very amusing.'

Blaise laughed. 'Everyone's a target for your amusement, Draco.'

This was met by a smooth smile and then a grin. 'Especially you and Pansy earlier; better watch out Blaise, took me about three years to disentangle myself from her affections!' Blaise shot a look of horror at Draco and the expression reminded Draco of what the little Weasel had been doing.

'You have to see the drawing she was doing Blaise, it was …'

'Hilarious? Dumbledore doing a tap dance with Snape watching adoringly?'

'True,' Draco said quietly. 'She was drawing us, and she had caught such a likeness, but not just of look, but character, too,' he mused, turning it over in his head. He thought suddenly, _I wonder how she would have drawn my facial expression? _Then he shook the thought away as Blaise said,

'What do you mean, Draco?'

'Blaise, you are my best friend; I have known you since I was a toddler. But she caught your essence in one drawing, and no one else has ever looked at you and seen anything but a pure-blooded Slytherin.' The friends considered this and continued to discuss in quiet tones what this meant for them before changing the discussion to Quidditch as the rest of their house returned from their lessons.

Meanwhile, Ginny Weasley was ensconced in a private corner of the castle. Having befriended a portrait of a governess who was teaching two small children to paint, she had been told that no one came to this little dead end of the castle, and she would be quite safe from any prying eyes. She frowned at the drawing. It was not going well. Pansy had been easy to draw, her little pug-like nose straining for attention, brown glossy hair trailing, blue eyes trained on Draco's reaction rather than Blaise's.

_Serious case of unrequited love there _she thought, then realised that it was probably lust for what Draco could offer her. Malfoys may be slimy bastards, but they were rich and powerful. Blaise, too, had been easy. The result had been disconcerting, however. He was beautiful, from an artistic point of view, but the affection between him and the unfinished portrait of Malfoy was undeniable. His eyes showed a hint of kindness and he even looked … jolly ...? She laughed at herself. A Slytherin could not be jolly, yet she couldn't paint him any other way. Malfoy was causing similar problems. She was imagining his smirking face, evil incarnate, the pure-blooded git himself. But the image she was painting showed a noble profile, a grin threatening the corners of his mouth as he spotted the Blaise/Pansy drama. He was pushing his blond hair out of his eyes. Eyes she had painted silver grey in spite of her brain telling her they were probably blue. She finished the drawing, painted in the final flecks of colour, and stared at it. There would be a mutiny in the Gryffindor common room if this came to light: Slytherins shown as people with admirable qualities as well as howling flaws? What a ridiculous notion. Well, at least Ginny could show Luna.

Luna Lovegood was having a good day. None of her belongings had gone missing, she hadn't been sneered at once, and she had found a new book in the library on Animagi. Because Sev was still a baby, she had sneaked the little kitten into the library in her school bag and settled into a dark and musty corner. She would love to become an Animagus, and she set to wondering what kind of animal she would become. She also thought that it was highly likely that it would match your Patronus; both were the animals that reflected your soul. Sev kneaded her leg with his tiny paws, and seeing his mistress deep in thought, decided to go and explore. He batted an abandoned piece of paper under a shelf and followed it under.

Luna stirred; she had nearly finished the book and had decided it wouldn't be that hard to become an Animagi; she would ask Dumbledore whether she could take extra lessons. Looking around for her black kitten, she could not see him anywhere.

'Sev?' she exclaimed, prompting a 'Shush!' from Madam Pince, whose hearing was as keen as could be. Luna hurried through the shelves, searching methodically for her little cat, calling for him quietly.

'Sev?' she repeated as she rounded the corner and abruptly crashed into the tall form of Professor Snape. He looked at her, puzzled. Her misty eyes rounded in horror, and just as her mouth opened to jabber some kind of explanation, her gaze dropped. A little black kitten lay fast asleep in his hands, its paws wrapped around a little mouse toy.

Snape said frostily as he gently passed the kitten to her waiting hands, 'You should keep a more careful eye on your possessions, Miss Lovegood.' He then turned on his heel and swept away. Her jaw dropped even further. Her quick mind assessed the situation, surely a Trogurt had infected Snape, and they were known to cause rapid changes in character and also lived in dark cold places. If that wasn't it, then why hadn't he taken points away for bringing the kitten to the library in the first place? Especially as Ravenclaw were ahead of Slytherin by miles. She cuddled the kitten to her chest and wandered off to find Ginny.

Hermione sighed. She only wanted to do her homework, and Harry and Ron were acting like children, bouncing around the common room.

'Boys! Calm down! I know it's exciting that the Chudley Cannons are in the final of the League!' she yelled. This only provoked more whooping, and a Cannons hat flew through the air and landed squarely on her head. Ginny edged into the room and then, upon seeing Ron jumping up and down on one of the sofas, backed out hastily.

She bumped into Dean, who shrugged his shoulders and said, 'I would be just the same if West Ham made it to the final.'

Ginny replied, 'Oh, is that what all this fuss is about? I thought that maybe the Death Eaters had surrendered their wands to Dumbledore in an intricate ballet, where they all wear pink tutus and Voldemort blesses all the Muggles with long life and happiness. No? Disappointing.'

Dean laughed and said, 'Uh Ginny, you know there's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up?'

'Yes, Dean?'

'Fancy coming with me?' Ginny paused, turning it over in her head. She liked Dean a lot, but she didn't fancy him.

'I've promised to go with Luna, but you can come in with us if you like,' she offered.

'It's okay, Ginny; I'll probably see you there. I'll hang around with Neville if Seamus is off with Abbott again,' he said, adding, 'It's not that I dislike old Loopy, but I don't think I could spend a whole day with her.'

Ginny forced a smile and gestured back to the common room. 'Gotta go; catch you later.'

She hated it when people judged Luna. She may be a little eccentric, but she was the best friend Ginny had ever had, and she accepted Ginny as herself, not another offshoot of the Weasley family. To Ginny's surprise, Luna had never had a boyfriend, despite her intelligence and her prettiness. She supposed the talk of strange Snorkacks and Nargles scared them off; boys were so immature at their age, scared of anything different in case their friends mocked them for it.

She shook her head vigorously and realised how silly she would look if anyone were watching. Checking the dorms for people, she walked to the adjoining bathroom. A large painting of a pastoral scene hung on the wall, and Ginny spoke to the milkmaid quietly.

'Can you let me out this way, Sally? Don't want to face Dean or Ron at the mo.' The milkmaid turned towards her, pink cheeks shining.

'Course, Ginny, you know where the handle is. Nice to speak to someone other than Ol' Daisy here.' She gave the cow's rump an affectionate pat. A tree in the background wiggled and sprouted an extra branch, which grew and grew until it resembled a gnarled oak handle. Ginny grasped it and walked through.

The secret passage had brought her out near the Ravenclaw common room, and Ginny hailed the first person she saw.

'Oi, Mike, have you seen Luna anywhere?'

He shrugged, then said, 'I think I saw her heading up those stairs, but you never know with Loopy.'

Ginny thanked him coldly, and seeing the stairs start to grate and move, ran at full speed up them. Jumping off the top stair, she collapsed panting and found herself opposite the Room of Requirement. She knocked gingerly, knowing that it was used when clandestine meetings were needed. The door swung open to show a little sitting room, occupied by her friend who was toasting marshmallows. In one corner sat Sev, with every kind of food on a plate around him and his own little fire to stretch out in front of. 'The room obviously included everything Sev wanted, too,' said Luna, not even turning to look.

Ginny gave her a big hug and said, 'I have loads of stuff to tell you, Luna, have a look at this.' Luna smiled and opened Ginny's diary to the latest page. The drawing Ginny had completed stared up at her. Luna's eyes grew rounder.

'This is brilliant, Ginny.'

Ginny sighed. 'It doesn't seem very real, though.'

Luna looked at her beadily. 'I think you are mistaken. This is how I see the Slytherins, Blaise in particular.'

Ginny realised then that she had started to think of Zabini as Blaise as well.

Luna continued, 'Gryffindors pride themselves on their honour and loyalty, but in their way, they are as bigoted as any other house. You have finally realised that all the houses just contain people of all kinds with all different personalities; can you imagine a full quarter of Hogwarts being irredeemably evil? Slytherin's reputation is self-perpetuating; the more people whisper and sneer at them, the less likely that others will join them. Think of Harry!'

Ginny interrupted. 'What about Harry?'

Luna looked a little dismayed then carried on. 'Please don't mention this to anyone else, but the hat said he could be in Slytherin. He chose not to because people like your brother and Hermione already knew of the reputation of the house.' Ginny remembered then that she had asked the hat to be in Gryffindor.

'Do you think everybody chooses what house they want to be in?'

Luna smiled at her. 'I believe that people choose the house they want to be in for the qualities that they themselves admire. It doesn't depend wholly on what qualities you possess already, but the houses help you to become the person you want to be.'

Ginny acknowledged this and thought carefully for a while. 'I'm going to try to be more understanding and friendlier towards everyone,' she announced. 'If there's one thing I simply can't stand, its prejudice. I shall try to judge everyone on their own merit.'

Luna said slyly, 'You'll have to talk to Draco then, that's a wonderful likeness of him.'

Ginny giggled, 'Can you imagine? One minute I'm biting his head off, the next asking him if he'd like to join our study group!' Her eyes widened. 'A study group! Let's start something a little similar to the DA, only for everyone. We can work on anything that people put forwards, help the littles with homework and prepare for exams.' The friends bent over a piece of parchment and planned out who, how, and where. A burst of laughter greeted Luna as she informed Ginny of her run-in with Snape and also her unintentional stealing of the Animagi book from the library. The girls agreed that the older members of their new group might like to have a look at the book, as it would make an interesting project. After an hour, the fire burning steadily in the grate, Ginny and Luna went off to find Dumbledore.

Draco and Blaise had just finished Arithmancy and were wandering down the corridor aimlessly when they met Ginny and Luna standing outside the gargoyle giggling hysterically as they yelled out types of sweets. They had obviously reached the bottom of the barrel as Luna said with difficulty, 'Llama violets,' with tears pouring down her face and sat down abruptly, holding her sides. Blaise smiled and grabbed her arm to help her up before saying, 'Chupa Chup,' at the gargoyle. It swung back to reveal a wooden staircase lined by portraits of elderly people and intricately embroidered tapestries above carved banisters. The smile vanished off Blaise's face and Draco's sneer returned.

'Run off to Dumbledore,' Blaise said.

Draco added, 'I never knew you were a blood-traitor, Lovegood, but if you hang around with Weasley, you must be.'

'Poor form,' crowed a portrait from the stairs. 'How dare you insult a lady!'

Ginny clutched Luna's arm as she turned to face the Slytherin boys. It was only then she realised how tall and broad they both were and straightened in an unconscious effort to look taller and more imposing than her five foot two.

Luna looked at Blaise, smiled mysteriously, and then swept imperiously up the staircase saying loudly as she went, 'He's good-looking isn't he, I've always said I like dark haired boys.'

Ginny gasped and then recovered quickly, replying with, 'At least he isn't Snape.' The gargoyle grated shut.

'Well, that's it, Blaise. They are definitely on to us now. And Luna fancies you,' snapped Draco. Blaise just smiled slightly and walked on.

A letter drifted into Draco's lap. He had been doing his potions and chewing the end of his quill absentmindedly. He spat out the end of the feather in disgust earning a glance from Theodore Nott.

'I say, Malfoy, very elegant.' Theo was a friend of Draco's, but he was not under as much parental pressure as Draco, mostly because his father was in prison. He was free to do what he liked, and although he wasn't overly keen on Mudbloods, he didn't want to scourge them from the earth completely. In other words, he was as well balanced as a Slytherin could be while still valuing the principles that made him a pure-blood. Draco smirked slightly.

'I have more elegance in my little finger than you do in your entire body, Nott.' With that, he delicately opened the letter that the owl had delivered.

Draco,

All the arrangements are in place. I suggest you lay low; it will happen at the time discussed previously. Until then, you must act normally. Please inform the others that are trustworthy. I am sorry it had to come to this, but rest assured you are doing the right thing.

It was unsigned, but as he touched the parchment a golden feather burned into existence, then vanished as the whole paper went up in flames, then, as quickly as it had erupted, disintegrated into ash.

'Luckily it was only you and me in here, Nott, that was very unsubtle,' Draco commented. 'Can you do me a favour and call up Zabini, Parkinson, and all the normal crowd. Tell them to meet us in the usual place after dinner.' He added, 'I know I don't have to tell you to be subtle, Nott, but make sure that none of them start blabbing it around, this is important.' Nott nodded, his usual flamboyant tone dimmed.

'This is it, Draco, isn't it?' A grim nod met his comment, and the blond boy turned on his heel and left the common room.

Draco sighed. Funny that all he could think of earlier was how the youngest weasel had looked at him. Ginny. Now, as always, his father had screwed everything up. Lucius had never been a kind man. He had believed that strength and power were what was needed to exert influence and Draco had followed him unerringly through his childhood. Having forbidden contact with those not worthy of Draco's time and told him that kindness was for the weak and feeble, Lucius had hardened his son's heart. That same heart sank, now he would have to bully her as much as before, hide the glint of humanity showing through his Slytherin exterior.

Winter crept up on the castle, her cloak of snow and ice resting around Hogwarts, much like every other year. Her grip held Hogwarts prisoner, but, to her surprise, the festivities continued. Ginny and Luna had enlisted the help of Neville, their resident Herbology expert, to give a talk on the plants of Christmas and their uses. Their study group had gone from strength to strength, though, to their dismay, only one Slytherin from seventh year had made an appearance. Theodore Nott sat next to Luna as Neville concluded with some interesting facts about mistletoe and took a deep bow. His animated face showed how much he had grown in confidence. A small first year came up to Ginny.

'Um, Ginny,' he said as he tugged shyly on her elbow.

'Yes, Ben?'

'Thank you for helping me with my Charms last week, Flitwick said I'd really improved, and I even managed to get a question right for Hufflepuff in Potions with Snape!' Ginny smiled and congratulated him before leaving the Room of Requirement with Luna, leaving the others to eat mince pies and chat.

Ginny had spent the past few weeks watching Malfoy. She knew his every move. Luna called it 'stalking,' but Ginny knew there was something going on. He was sniping at Ron and Hermione, snapping at the first years, and making horrendous innuendoes about her and Harry. It was most Malfoy-esque. Yet something didn't feel right. His taunts seemed lacklustre, and every drawing she did showed his beautiful bone structure and the innate goodness of his soul, along with that flawless colouring. She thought she was going crazy. She confided in Luna and in Colin, who as a photographer might know what was happening.

He had smiled at her and said, 'Trust me; Malfoy is that attractive on the outside, on the inside, no one knows. Why don't you ask Zabini? He seems close to Serpent Boy.'

Ginny had not taken Colin's advice but had thought on it. Everything had seemed to change just after their chance encounter where Blaise had been nice to Luna. A knee-jerk reaction had resulted in insults thrown, but they had not been truly biting. It had been after that then. Something unconnected with herself and Luna.

Ginny sat on the cold stone windowsill. Peace settled around her, far away from the putting up of the Christmas trees in the Great Hall with everybody yelling and dancing some music that seemed to be coming from the starlit ceiling. She started to draw a picture of Ron, Hermione, and Harry; she would give it to Hermione for Christmas. She blew on her fingers in an attempt to warm them up. Without noticing, she began to hum, and then to sing, a Christmas carol her mum had taught her.

Draco had escaped the crush in the Great Hall and was walking to the Owlery when he heard a voice. In an alcove he had never noticed before, Ginny Weasley was sitting. Her red hair fell in a shimmering mass over one shoulder, her mouth moved slowly as an old witching carol fell from her lips. She rubbed her hands together to stave off the cold then continued to draw. A sudden 'damn' dropped from her lips and she screwed up the page and threw it into the corner. Draco picked it up and stared at it. It was Potter, the Mudblood, and Ginny's brother. The painting was beautifully executed, catching the golden highlights of Hermione's hair, the glint off Harry's glasses, and Ron's cheeky grin. The problem was this: Ron was giving a subtle jealous look to Harry; Hermione was looking smug; and Harry, slightly sulky.

'You've made it too real, Weasley' he commented. 'They won't like the fact you've painted their faults.'

Ginny had started at his first words. 'I know,' she said. 'It's my third try, and I can't keep the real them from coming through! I know they have so many good points, and they are all in the painting as well, but I can't seem to lie!' Draco gave it back to her.

'Why don't you paint them on separate pieces of paper then charm them onto the same. Then they won't interact with each other so much.' Ginny nodded then became reabsorbed in her painting.

'Thank you, Draco. Merry Christmas.' He turned on his heel and walked on to the Owlery, cursing himself inwardly.

His father would hear of this; he had spies all around the castle. It was not that Draco cared for Ginny, he reassured himself. He must not show any emotion that was not appropriate for a Death Eater's son and future follower of Voldemort; it was important that he follow in his father's footsteps.


	2. Chapter 2

Winter had the last laugh that Christmas, as the train could not get into the station, and so the students were snowed in. Hermione had tried to explain that the Floo network could only take a certain amount of people, and so only essential trips were being made, but Ron and Harry just looked at her blankly.

It was a full school, and the informal atmosphere was fun as all the students wore their own clothes and just enjoyed being around their friends without lessons getting in the way. On Christmas morning, the excitement became unbearable as students woke to piles of presents. The owls had worked overtime over the last week delivering through the blizzards.

Ginny carried her little pile of presents into the common room wearing her pyjamas and dragging her quilt, all the animals on it in a high state of excitement. The Ginny and Ron dogs were playing in the snow that had mysteriously fallen in the quilt. Hermione was carefully writing down who gave her what and then made her way over the scattered presents and wrapping paper to give Ginny a hug. The painting had been finished with Draco's helpful advice, and Ginny had framed it. The flaws that had been glaring were now toned down, and Hermione was almost in tears.

'Thank you so much, Ginny, it's just beautiful!'

Ginny blushed and tugged at her new jumper. This year Mrs Weasley had opted for bright jewel colours, and hers was a sapphire blue. Hermione was feeling awkward but proud in her first Weasley jumper, a beautiful rich red that complimented the gold and copper highlights in her hair. The girls sat by the fire, happy just to be in each other's company and watch people stream in and out of the dorms, yelling thanks and squealing over presents given and received.

They heard rather than saw their friends hurtle out of the dorms and instinctively braced as both Harry and Ron ran towards the cosy sofa.

'I can't believe you guys bought us tickets to the Quidditch League Final!' squealed Harry in a very girly manner.

Ron just gaped in an unattractive fashion and wordlessly tried to convey his immense gratitude by expansive hand gestures. Finally giving up on language, he started to kiss Hermione, leaving Harry and Ginny rigid with embarrassment. Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the engrossed couple and out of the portrait hole, where Ginny started to giggle.

'I've never seen anything like that! That was disgusting! A sister should never have to watch her brother snog someone!' Harry nodded then glanced down at their still intertwined hands. Ginny followed his eyes down and abruptly jerked her hand away.

'Um, yeah, remind me not to give him a nice Christmas present again,' she said, trying to cover the awkward silence. Harry tried not to show the disappointment on his face, and then took her hand again, earnestly looking into her eyes. As his emerald eyes met hers, a frisson of excitement ran through her body. She quelled it. This was the remnants of her crush, not the renewal of it.

'Ginny, you are so beautiful, and every time I see you I want to … to … kiss you.' He spoke out boldly then broke eye contact, waiting for a response. At that exact moment, a school owl swooped low over their heads and dropped a package into Ginny's hands.

Harry looked at it. 'That's unusual, they normally only deliver at breakfast.'

Ginny stared at it. 'I can't imagine what that could be, I've had all my presents from Mum and Dad, and all my brothers.' Forgetting about the declaration of admiration from Harry, she opened the little package to reveal a pair of ruby gloves, missing the fingertips. A note lay on top.

_These might be useful for drawing in the winter. _

It was unsigned, written in an unknown hand.

Ginny stroked the soft fabric and thought, _Harry may say he likes me, but yet again, he gave me chocolate frogs for Christmas. Someone really thought about this gift._

Harry stared at the note. 'You draw, Ginny? I never realised you were artistic.'

That was it – that was the moment Ginny finally let go of her crush forever. Could anyone truly be so unperceptive? Even Malfoy had said she had talent, had given her a compliment wrapped up in layers of insults, had helped her with the picture for Hermione.

She gasped. She had put two and two together and made one tall blond Slytherin with more money than sense.

Harry, of course, was still oblivious to any drama, and, bored of one measly pair of gloves, reverted back to his stumbling assertion of undying love.

'So … I … really like you and want to take you out.' He paused then added, 'We could go to Madam Puddifoot's if you like?' Ginny grimaced, which thankfully Harry missed as he was watching his shuffling feet and waiting for a reply.

'Thank you for asking me, and I'm really flattered, but …' She stalled, her mind frantically running through every excuse: _I'm gay … with Luna? I'm dating Colin, who is not longer gay? I fancy someone else … that could work. Neville? No, even Harry wouldn't believe that. Dean? Nope, can't encourage him … _

Her mind whirled as the silence elongated, and Harry's shuffling feet started to look a bit like an Irish jig.

'I fancy Draco,' she blurted out, her ears not quite believing what her mouth had just said. She had meant to say Seamus, and yet, her disobedient thoughts had escaped, and her subconscious had admitted a crush her brain hadn't been fully aware of. A crush she had just announced to one of her friends who happened to be said crush's adversary in every competition. This was not going to end well.

Ginny flushed bright scarlet and added, 'Of course he's evil and nasty and not very good looking and really awful at Quidditch.'

Harry was incapable of speech, so Ginny took the opportunity and ran.

The halls were thankfully empty; everyone else must have been at breakfast. Ginny ran and ran, stirring up comments from the portraits varying from concerned remarks from motherly looking women to Sir Cadogan's chivalrous offers to 'take care of the blackguard.'

Thankfully, her broom was outside in the broom shed, and she took a side entrance out towards the snowy field to avoid being spotted. This sort of behaviour was not tolerated at Hogwarts, but on this clear snowy day with no onlookers, she did not worry about the teachers – they would all be enjoying themselves in the Great Hall. No doubt Dumbledore would be making a bizarre but inspired speech by now, and McGonagall might have even smiled in a prim manner.

The quiet sanctity settled around her like a cloak, and she pulled on her new gloves, smiling anew at her unexpected present. She couldn't believe she had said such a thing to Harry. It was going to cause absolute chaos!

Ginny could not normally be described as insensitive, but there were times when she managed to blurt something inappropriate out, such as the time she had unintentionally insulted Lavender's hair. How was she to know that it was supposed to be that colour and not a nasty accident with a backfired charm as she'd initially thought?

Still musing about how to undo the damage she'd done, she unlocked the broom shed on autopilot, found her broom, and leapt gracefully into the air. When you needed to think, there was no better place to be than on a broom.

Harry had stood frozen in position for a good five minutes before he had managed to get up enough impetus to move. Draco Malfoy. Now that was an unexpected turn up for the books. He stormed down to the dungeons to find the ferret and, on the way, bumped into a certain blonde googly eyed Ravenclaw.

'Harry! How are you?' she said, seeing the rage frozen into his face.

He relaxed slightly and then, realising Luna and Ginny's relationship, said abruptly, 'That bastard Malfoy has somehow got to Ginny. Do you know whether she seriously likes him?'

Luna dreamily answered, 'Well, I don't know, Harry, but it's Christmas day. Maybe you should pound him another time. It's very bad for the Christmas spirit to beat people up.'

Sev dangled off her shoulder and jumped onto Harry's head. The kitten had grown, but as he settled down, it looked like Harry had merely forgotten to comb his hair. One lazy paw dangled by his ear, and a gentle purr emanated through his skull.

Unbeknownst to Harry, his posture had softened, and he smiled at Luna.

'Does he always do this?'

Luna giggled. 'No, he must like you. Don't move fast, though, or he'll fall off!' She grabbed his arm and steered him towards the Great Hall. As she looked upwards, she could have sworn the kitten's left eye closed in an unmistakable wink.

'Her,' said Blaise as he pointed at a Hufflepuff.

'Mudblood, and a Hufflepuff, and to be honest a complete dog,' replied Draco.

'As if you would lie to save her feelings. Her.'

'Face like a smacked arse, and a bitch to boot.'

Blaise was enjoying this. He decided to up the game.

'Hermione Granger.'

'Not bad looking, just an overachieving Mudblood. A little on the tall side, too bossy, and hangs around with The Boy Who Won't Fucking Die.'

'Ron Weasley.'

'A man.'

'Luna Lovegood.'

'You won't catch me out with that one! We all know you've laid claim to her, but at least she's a pureblood.'

Blaise smirked. He had just seen the finale to the game approach the Gryffindor table looking windswept, a pink glow lighting her cheeks.

'Her.' He pointed.

'Nose too long, Weasley freckles, too kind for her own good.' Draco looked her up and down. 'A pureblood, good figure, nice teeth, no unfortunate habits or disfigurements,' he continued, then stole a sideways look at Blaise. 'But all in all, related to blood traitors and has six very large brothers. Even the Weasel King has broadened out. Good job the only person with worse co-ordination is Longbottom!'

While covert glances were being shot from Harry to Draco, from Draco to Ginny, and from Luna to all of the former, Ginny sat eating an enormous pile of sausages, bacon, eggs and beans, blissfully unaware of the tension becoming apparent in the room. She was having a lovely chat with Hermione about Muggle art galleries, and jokingly telling Dean that she had heard that West Ham had ordered Firebolts from Diagon Alley.

Harry stared at Draco. He couldn't see the attraction at all!

_Malfoy isn't bad looking,_ he grudgingly thought. _I mean, he's not exactly 'The Slytherin Sex God' or anything ridiculous like that. But he's nothing special. Why would she even look at someone who is that mean? Maybe it's the bad boy thing. _

Harry had lived with Muggles, and although he was rarely allowed to watch the television, it was clearly visible from the kitchen where he often prepared meals for the Dursleys. He was aware that nice girls liked bad boys because of the danger and possibly something to do with black leather. He himself had never owned anything like that, but that obviously wasn't his role to play. People would laugh at Harry if he bought a motorbike or tried to be mysterious and distant, especially Fred and George.

He cringed at the thought and bought himself back to the conversation going on around him. Ginny was telling the others about her plans for the study group in the New Year. Apparently, Dumbledore had said that the older and more advanced members could start to have special theory talks from Professor McGonagall about becoming Animagi, and if they were really dedicated, then there might even be a chance to register officially.

'Of course, a lot of people just can't do it. Professor McGonagall is quoted in the book that Luna and I looked at, and she said that for her, it felt absolutely natural. There is a theory that the closer you feel to your soul animal, the easier the transition, never mind how capable you are with a wand.'

Hermione looked at Ginny in admiration. 'I'm glad you are interested in knowledge for knowledge's sake, Ginny. The boys simply don't care about learning at all!'

Ron choked on his tea.

'Excuse me, Hermione!' he said, still spluttering. 'Just because we don't memorise what date the ceiling of the Great Hall was put in doesn't mean we are not interested in Animagi and interesting things like that!'

The food disappeared abruptly off the table and everyone stood and started to drift away from the table. A discrete signal from Luna encouraged Ginny to take her leave of the others and make her way to the Room of Requirement.

Having exchanged gifts and news, Luna and Ginny sat on their comfortable chairs and discussed Ginny's new problem.

'I hate to say I told you so, Ginny, but I knew Harry would do this!' giggled Luna. 'What I didn't expect is that you would announce that you fancied Draco!'

Ginny flushed slightly. 'I just think he's pretty,' she said coyly. Snapping back into her normal manner, she briskly tried to change the subject. 'So, what animal do you think I would turn into?'

'We will discuss the former at greater length later, Ginevra.' Luna seemed to be channelling McGonagall. In fact, it was such an uncanny resemblance that Ginny flinched slightly. 'However, I was thinking about Animagi again last night. Do you think you have a particular affinity with any animal?'

'I like all animals, really. I'd hate to be a slug or anything like that, though! What if you were an underwater animal? Surely you wouldn't be able to change on land?' questioned Ginny.

'It's very unusual for anyone without a lifelong affinity with the sea to have an Animagi form which is aquatic,' said Luna. 'I think you're too fiery to have a fish form, though. What is your Patronus again?'

'Harry thought it was a doe, but I think it's a horse. I suppose there is only one way to demonstrate.' She cast her Patronus, and a silvery shape dashed out of her wand and cantered around the room. It settled gently and blew gently out of its ethereal nostrils.

'Definitely a horse,' commented Luna. 'Wishful thinking on Harry's behalf, I must admit.'

Later on that evening, Luna bumped into Blaise. She and Ginny had had a long and detailed talk about her boy issues, had decided that something was definitely up with the Slytherins, and had also decided that Draco was the mysterious present giver. What had not been decided on was a plan of action, but Luna was taking matters into her own hands.

As she meandered round the corner of the dungeon and met Blaise's beautiful eyes, she did admit to herself that she had an ulterior motive as well. Her smile became dreamier than ever, and the tall Slytherin's mouth widened in response. He abruptly wiped the smile off his face, grabbed her arm in a fierce-looking pincer lock, and dragged her down the corridor. Luna wondered to herself how he managed to be so gentle while appearing to treat her like dirt; certainly, the others in the dungeons looked satisfied at his disdainful treatment of her. He pushed her into an abandoned classroom and locked the door behind them.

'Well, well, Miss Lovegood, what brings a Raven into the Snake's pit?' he asked, a twinkle in his eye underlying the sinister tone of his voice.

'A certain Lion wanted to thank the Dragon for a present,' she lied. No doubt Ginny would thank Draco in her own time, but there was more going on here than just a secret admiration for artistic talent.

Blaise looked shocked. 'The idiot,' he muttered. 'Does he not realise what is at stake here?' Luna's sharp eyes and wit caught the nuances others would miss.

'Blaise, if I ask you a question about your loyalties, would you answer it honestly?'

'Please do not ask, Luna. Then I will not have to lie.'

If there had been windows or peepholes into the classroom, any onlookers would have been met with a shocking sight. The slight, blonde-haired Ravenclaw rose up on her toes and gently brushed her lips ever so softly against the tall, dark-haired boy's lips. His hands went out to hers, and their lips met again, ever so chastely.

Meanwhile in the castle, an owl was carrying its last special delivery for the night. It flew to the dungeons rather awkwardly and, in a foul mood, dropped the slender package on Draco's head. Excusing himself from the curious stares of his peers, he wandered into his dorm and opened the package. The paper fell open to show a framed drawing. It was unmistakable in style and in subject matter: he and Blaise, sitting next to each other looking as if they were jockeying for position in a good natured fashion. He released a breath he hadn't even realised he had been holding.

_Ah, so that was how she saw him_. He saw obstinacy, fierce pride, loyalty, and kindness. It was signed simply G.

Elsewhere on this beautiful winter's morning, a dark plot was being formed. Cheer and goodwill were exchanged for evil thoughts and evil deeds. Voldemort was rising, and this time, he would use whatever and whoever he needed to. A masked man stood before him, his mask not sufficient to conceal his identity as silver hair flowed around it. All the others, identifiable by posture, a quirk of habit, or physical features, surrounded their sinister master and the supplicant.

A sentence, eloquent, sinuous, and obsequious, flowed from the supplicant's mouth. It was rejected by a hiss spread around the followers. Another followed, less practiced. He stumbled over the words. He looked up into the dread face of his master and waited with bated breath. A slow nod followed, and he breathed out, relieved. The ordeal was not over; after all, failed attempts were punishable by death, torture, and worse. For now, he and his Death Eaters must defeat Dumbledore and that blasted boy.


	3. Chapter 3

Lessons restarted without celebration, and life in the castle settled back into a measured pace after the frenetic excitement of Christmas. Ginny was finding it difficult to fit in all her extra activities and the copious amounts of homework being set, and as such, was normally seen looking slightly frazzled and rushed. Luna had taken to disappearing for hours on end, her only comment that 'someone had to promote interhouse unity.' Ginny understood what she was alluding to, but wisely kept her mouth shut when other Gryffindors and Ravenclaws started to ask where Luna went to.

Ginny had allowed herself the luxury of her crush on Draco, but now, sadly, tucked it safely into her heart and into her diary. There was too much work to be doing! Besides, she would meet him on the Quidditch pitch soon enough, and there could be no mercy shown to Slytherin by the only girl chaser on the Gryffindor team.

Ginny sat up late one night finishing her essay for Snape and a presentation for her Animagi class. McGonagall had praised both her and Luna's efforts to promote a safe unprejudiced environment and had allowed both of them, plus Nott, who was a very able student, to apply for their licences. If they passed their exam in a month's time, they would be registered Animagi. Hermione was also going to be taking the exam, but she had been having difficulty with the basic technique.

Admittedly, none of the students had even seen the form they would be taking, but there were initial exercises to ease the final casting, and she couldn't work out how to do them. Ginny dotted the final full stop with her new quill, a present from Charlie, and turned round in her chair to see Hermione muttering under her breath and waving her wand frantically. Her hair was stuck to her in fire-lit golden loops, and her frustration could be felt in waves of anger.

'Hermione, you can't push it. It's more gentle than that,' said Ginny softly, trying not to offend her friend and teacher. She stood up, carefully enunciated the spell, and a subtle heavy change in the air gave the feeling of being trapped in a bubble. 'I think the knack is not just wanting it, it's about feeling it. Something in my body already knows and is trying to remember some long forgotten spell that has been buried,' she continued, rather dreamily.

Hermione tried to recast the spell, but it was still stubbornly refusing to work. 'Oh Ginny, maybe I'm just not cut out for this,' she sighed and collapsed into the inviting sofa. 'I said to Harry once that my cleverness was all books. Certainly I find anything intuitive like this very difficult; I suppose I'm all logic and not enough pure emotion.' Ginny leant over and gave her a hug.

'You'll get it, it'll just take time,' she offered as consolation.

Hermione smiled and then said, 'Have you tried the revealing spell yet? McGonagall said you could if you had perfected the practice spell. I bet you are dying to find out what your form is.'

'I didn't think my practice spell was polished enough, but if you think it is …' trailed off Ginny hopefully. Hermione smiled and nodded, stirring a grin from the red haired girl. She stood up straighter and called out, '_Aperio Forma Animagus!_'

As with the Patronus, a shape shot from the end of her wand, but this was no shadowy silvery wraith. A chestnut mare had appeared, quite unaffected by the cosy surroundings.

A cry came from the dorms as Ron made his entrance.

'What on earth! Ginny! Why have you put a horse in our common room? Is a broom not good enough for you?!'

She smiled and stroked the soft muzzle before banishing the mare with one twist of her wand. Hermione and Ginny were both a bit stunned, it was one thing to be comfortable with magic, but that had been something else completely. Ron still spluttered gently, but was momentarily calmed by the absence of half a ton of horse. Ginny left Hermione to explain as she went up to bed.

She dreamt of plains, open, wide, and inviting. She ran across them with the herd, evading capture, just running and running. The speed with which she ran made the wind whistle past her ears and through her mane. Her legs struck the ground and made up the beat and when she woke, the beat went on.

Draco also dreamt that night. His was not as pleasant an experience, and had he not been trained out of such things, he might have screamed as he awoke, bolt upright and rigid with fear. Blaise awoke simultaneously, slipped into the curtains around Draco's bed, and grabbed his spasm-wracked hands.

'Draco!' he whispered and the tortured expression on Draco's face gave way to relief as he recognised his friend. 'Hush, the Slytherins must not hear you,' he added.

If you were born into Slytherin, weakness was not an option, you may well feel it, but show it and the hyenas would start to circle.

Elsewhere in the castle a scar burned. The dark haired boy resigned himself to insomnia and grabbed his latest Quidditch book. The rise of Voldemort had seriously damaged Harry Potter's sleeping patterns.

Ginny's smile at breakfast was positively luminous. She was looking forward to McGonagall's lunch time class, she didn't have potions with Snape, and she had just spotted Harry sharing a shy smile with a pretty Ravenclaw. After the plates had been cleared, she removed her chin from her cupped hands and grabbed her sketch-book. Her free period would give her enough time to finish the drawing she had started that morning when she had awoke with the sunrise. The sound of the hoof-beats that had echoed through her dreams seemed to sing through her blood still and the drawing she produced was the image from her dreams. It was easily the best drawing she had ever done. Using a paintbrush to apply a bronze metallic hue to give the impression of the sun glinting through the animal's coat and copper tendrils of flying mane, she finished the limpid eyes with a dark lustrous sable and put down her brush in satisfaction. The seventh years had all vanished off to classes, but Colin, tactfully leaving her to her engrossment beforehand, came over to look.

'Ginny, that's amazing! Did you just draw that from your imagination?'

'Um … yes?' she replied awkwardly. She didn't want everyone to find out yet, she could only imagine how embarrassing it would be if she didn't get her Animagi license. She suddenly realised that it was time for Charms, and grabbing her stuff hurriedly, accompanied Colin out into the chilly corridors.

Professor McGonagall shifted uneasily on her seat. Had she seriously made the right decision to let sixth and seventh year students take an Animagi test? She had not thought that any of them would be capable of the magic, but barring Miss Granger, they were exceptional. It was one of the only branches of magic where purebloods thrived, and she could see the little redhead's rich history in the ease with which she mastered the spells that had taken Minerva years to learn. Molly would be so proud of her if she succeeded, but the control was absolutely vital. A grimace passed across the witch's face, and she tapped fretfully on the desk until a small first year distracted her by accidentally enlarging the sugar mouse she was trying to transfigure.

Nott lounged nonchalantly over the leather sofa in the Slytherin common room watching Malfoy carefully. Draco was as fastidious about presentation as ever, but even one as talented at dissembling as the Malfoy could not disguise the tiredness writ in the dark shadows beneath his eyes.

'You need to hold it together, Malfoy,' he stated quietly. 'This whole thing depends on you, your strength of character and ability to lead.' This was met with a piercing glance, and Malfoy strode across the room to take up a menacing position in front of Nott.

'Do you doubt me?' he snarled, a threat written over his fine features, distorting them. A shrug from Nott, careless.

'My friend, I am in far too deep. You know that as well as I, and therefore it is in my best interests to support you, even if I was not loyal to the cause.' This was greeted with a smirk and an uncharacteristic hand on the shoulder.

'Thank you.' Malfoy turned on his heel and walked away.

Nott smiled, but internally he was still uncertain. He had thrown all of his weight behind Malfoy to protect his family name and their social standing; the rest of Slytherin looked to be following. Now they just had to hold their nerve for a little longer before the plan could be put into action. Malfoy was the very image of his father, but he had an additional facet. He could inspire devotion in those that followed him.

Nott just hoped he knew what he was doing.

These were dark times, and yet in a quiet classroom over lunch, several students were concentrating on something other than the struggle between good and evil. McGonagall had been pleased with Ginny's presentation on the ethics of Animagi transformation and secretly excited by the girl's mastery of the Aperio Forma Spell. The others were left to try to reveal their own Animagus form, but McGonagall and Ginny were deep in conversation about the theory behind the final transformation.

Ginny's eyes blazed as she stepped back from her teacher and readied herself to try her very first transformation. The thick flow of magic in the room tightened around the girl and tension mounted, higher and higher and then there was a flicker in the room. Ginny still stood there. She looked frustrated and she said to the older woman.

'I don't understand! Why didn't it work?!'

The Professor smiled. 'It did, Miss Weasley. You momentarily changed, then changed back. It was almost too fast to see, but you managed it.' Minerva thought her heart would burst with pride for this stubborn, scruffy girl and forced a severe expression back onto her face despite the twinkle in her eyes. 'Go on then, try again.'

It took most of the lunch time, but by the end, Ginny had successfully changed several times. She couldn't believe the way in which her bodily form could change and yet her brain could still function. She had horse thoughts, too: a strange desire to have her nose stroked, an uneasiness born into prey of tight enclosed spaces and two legged animals approaching, even a desire to find some nice boy horse! All these were easily overridden, thank goodness, by the logic of her human brain.

Luna had been so excited she had flung her arms round her friend, and the whole session had been overshadowed by Ginny's success. Hermione had still not managed to do the practice spell, and her kindness and genuine pleasure in Ginny's success reinforced Ginny's faith in the good nature of her friend. Luna had found out her form, but was curiously evasive about telling Ginny, and in the end, told her only that she would tell her in private later.

It was a great deal later when the two girls finally met up. Luna smiled at her friend as she entered the Room of Requirement, windswept and muddy faced. Ginny had obviously come from Quidditch practice. She groaned as she eased her tired legs into a sitting position.

'Damned Harry!' she moaned. 'I have never done so many laps around the pitch! Just because I was ten minutes late!'

Luna handed her a hot chocolate with a consolatory smile.

'Ginny, I have to talk to you,' she said seriously.

'What is it, Luna?' she responded, taking note of the grave note in the blonde's tone.

'I have a feeling that, inadvertently, we may become involved in something. Something big.' Ginny hastened to interrupt, but Luna carried on. 'The Order may need us sooner than we thought, and I think we should keep our Animagi forms a secret from the rest of the school.' The last sentence came out in a rush, the words tumbling over and over each other.

Ginny thought this over, her hands absentmindedly stroking Sev in her lap.

'Okay, Luna. If you think so, I trust you. I'll tell Hermione not to tell anyone. What about Nott, though?'

Luna looked rather smug at that point.

'I didn't know whether to trust him or not, so I "accidentally" hexed him when you were practicing. Didn't you notice he wasn't present?'

Nott staggered back from the infirmary cursing gently under his breath. As if the littlest Weasley knowing it wasn't enough, she had obviously passed on her knowledge of the Bat Bogey Hex to her strange friend. Judging by the evil glint in the Loony's eyes, she had hexed him purposefully as well, just as he was about to see the form of Weasley's Animagus. Draco would be cross. It was an elementary spy mission gone hideously wrong, and now all the time he had spent in their study group was wasted.

Well, not entirely. He had discovered that his Animagus would be a raven; a strangely satisfied smile crossed his face as he recollected this. He was curiously glad that he didn't have a particularly warlike Animagus, and he couldn't wait to fly using his own wings. He'd never been very good on a broomstick, despite his enjoyment of it. Maybe this was the way he was supposed to experience the endless sky. His grin lingered, leading several first years to skirt him widely and distrustfully. There was nothing scarier than a smiling Slytherin; Merlin only knew what he was planning.

Draco brushed his hair back off his face. He had been avoiding Ginny for days, no, weeks now. It made him uneasy. She had seen into his soul, and now he had to pay the price for that. If she had still believed him evil incarnate, he may have been able to interact with her, but he couldn't allow her to spread rumours about him. Especially not nice ones.

He smirked at his reflection, the cold mask settled back around his features and the vibrant boy, was submerged by the man he would become. A man like his father, ruthless, proud, and domineering. This then was his destiny. He made a split second decision and called out to Blaise.

'Zabini! Find Nott and Parkinson; I'll get the others. Meet us in the usual place.'

Darkness fell like a cloak. The wind, so often whistling round the castle was absent. The clouds hung heavily leaving the air thick and cold. A night so perfect for secret assignations, Draco wondered if it might be too cliché. They were bound to be caught.

However, the Slytherins' luck held as they took a secret passage from the dungeons and out into the frigid night, along the boundary of the forest, then in. Pansy clutched at Draco's hand, and he held it firmly; there was no shame in being scared out here. Draco sneered slightly at Potter's remembered bravery in the face of the Forbidden Forest. There were darker things in here than a few spiders or even Voldemort himself. This forest was ancient and full of secrets.

A clearing opened up in front of them, and Draco called the meeting to order, casting a spell to allow them to hear any invaders.

Ginny was restless. She had expected to sleep well after her Quidditch exertions, but thoughts were running through her head. She tossed and turned again, then finally got up. She grabbed the Marauders Map from Hermione's bed stand and exited the warmth of the dorm, clad just in her pyjamas. The cheery orange Cannon's pyjamas were made of flannel, but they were not really warm enough, so she grabbed a set of robes from the common room on her way out. It wasn't a clear night. This disappointed her until she realised the cloud-clad moon and stars would enable her to sneak out unseen. She reached the outskirts of the grounds, concentrated hard, and held her breath as her body started to elongate and broaden.

Mere moments later, the chestnut horse disappeared from sight of the castle as she began to skirt the Forbidden Forest at a fast pace. The dark seemed to lift its oppressive hold as Ginny's vision improved significantly, her velvety ears twitching at every movement from the forest. She was amazed at the difference in her hearing; her senses were so sharp. There was a slight breeze this far away from the shelter of the castle, and the rustle of leaves and occasional snapping of tiny twigs made her jump.

She slowed to a walk to listen more carefully, her hooves making little sound on the compacted earth and puffs of condensation rose from her nostrils at every exhalation. She stilled the horse mind's instinct to run as she heard something else from the forest. The other noises were natural, but this bass rumble was not. Pricking up her ears, she picked her way carefully into the forest, ducking beneath branches and relying on her senses to pick up on danger.

Draco was in the middle of giving a rather charismatic speech about the importance of status and promotion of purebloods which he was proud of. The other Slytherins were certainly looking more relaxed and sure in their beliefs.

_Good,_ he thought to himself. _I must reassure them as much as possible; this waiting is hard on all of our nerves. _

Ginny found an open clearing, and the sight within absolutely horrified her. The children of the Death Eaters sat within, cloaked in black and bathed in a sinister atmosphere. Her heart felt like it had stopped beating as she heard Draco, her Draco, conclude his speech.

'Do not give up, my friends and allies! It may seem like we fight for the wrong side, but rest assured, we will be rewarded, and our families will benefit greatly from this.'

As he dismissed them, they started to leave the clearing in twos and threes. Ginny took a cautious step back into the undergrowth, thankfully not making a sound. Her tail caught on a bramble, and she stood stock still as Pansy and Blaise walked within ten yards of her.

Draco looked around uneasily and checked that there wasn't any sign of their presence left behind. He began to leave the deserted clearing until he caught sight of a flash of colour in the trees; he stalked towards it, his wand raised.

Ginny froze in terror, her eyes wide in fear. As he advanced on her, she tried to turn and run, but her caught tail refused to budge from the brambles. Draco's menacing outlook softened as he caught sight of her, and his hands reached for her neck to give her a comforting pat. She flinched from his touch, but he was persistent and gentle. When he saw she was more relaxed, he gently freed the caught tail with his dextrous, long fingers.

'What are you doing here?' he asked of her.

'Hrumph,' Ginny replied, her nerves leading her to think she could talk. Thankfully, Draco could not understand horse, and he carried on talking despite her admission of spying.

'You're far too well-bred to be running loose in the Forbidden Forest, sweetheart,' he said, and waved his wand at her face. Calmed by his soothing voice and soft hands, she had been caught off guard and was shocked to feel a head collar binding her. She fought against it, tossing her head this way and that. Draco led her out of the Forbidden Forest by the nose, but as soon as she was in the open air again, she plunged and ripped the rope from his hands. She ran.

Draco watched with regret as the beautiful horse galloped off. It reminded him of happier times when Lucius had commanded Narcissa to teach him the vagaries of a gentleman's seat. He had spent hours plodding round on a barrel-stomached little pony, and later on had escorted his mother around the grounds on an expensive matched pair of horses. He smiled slightly to think of such carefree times, when his duty had not been so conflicted.

Ginny's terror gave her wings. Her fleetness of foot allowed her to get to the outer entrance well in advance of Draco's amble, and she transformed back into her human form. How could any man be so gentle with a dumb animal, yet be planning to join forces with the most evil wizard of this century? She couldn't comprehend it at all. She fell into bed exhausted, still wearing the robes she had borrowed earlier. Her sleep was haunted by cloaked figures, and an uneasy feeling that she was the prey and Draco the predator as he stalked his way through her dreams.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

January got darker and gloomier before fading into a bleak February, a month of despair for all wizarding families. Voldemort had started to attack wizarding settlements and Muggle towns alike. The Obliviators were called in for the Muggle witnesses, and the wizarding world shouldered the burden of guilt, anxiety, and fear and kept going. There was no other option.

The latest news from the Ministry confirmed that St Mungo's had been hit by Death Eaters. Ginny had held Neville's weeping body as he had to accept that his parents had finally passed on beyond the veil and Bellatrix Black had finished the job she started. It was no longer just Harry having nightmares; Ginny could feel the cold dark breath of Tom in her sleep, his sinister presence bearing down on her, suffocating her. Neville dreamt of Bellatrix's maniacal laugh intermingled with screaming.

As a result, the houses of Hogwarts had clustered closer together, apart from the ostracised Slytherin. No matter that the Slytherins had not outwardly declared allegiance; the fact that their parents were responsible for the deaths of families, friends, and allies spoke for them.

As Draco was avoiding Ginny anyway, he had not really noticed the fact that she was now avoiding him. She was trying to chalk her crush up to experience, but failing miserably. Her conscience told her that she should probably go to Dumbledore, but she didn't have any proof apart from a snippet of conversation and a mysterious meeting, and what would Dumbledore be able to do with that anyway? She comforted herself with the fact that within the school Dumbledore seemed strangely omniscient and not much seemed to escape those deceptively benevolent eyes.

Down in the cold dreary dungeons the atmosphere was stultifying. The Slytherins were surrounded by a thick layer of tension that was affecting all of them. Upon learning of the atrocities committed by the Death Eaters and knowing that their identities were not as secret as they were previously, they lived in dread of their parents' capture and conversely that they would perform something that would not be forgivable. The Muggles were not the only targets, as the attack on St Mungo's proved. Voldemort was trying to demonstrate his strength and receive power by domination and terror tactics.

The way in which the Slytherins had been received by the rest of the school had been expected, but there was a difference between the fear and spite with which they were treated and the previous rivalry. Snape was acting like an anxious sheepdog desperately trying to protect his flock and was often seen escorting them to class and taking points off anyone who dared to be openly combative towards the Slytherins. At one point, he had given nearly all the sixth year Hufflepuffs a detention for "looking at Nott in a funny manner" which had resulted in complaints to Dumbledore. Surprisingly, Dumbledore had allowed the punishment to stand, and the outcry from the Hufflepuffs had been outstanding at the realisation that they had to clean the whole of Snape's Potions laboratory by hand.

Ginny had left her quill behind, and seeing as it was the one Charlie had bought her, had decided to run back to the dungeons for it. She justified her decision by calculating that the Slytherins would all be in lessons and thus probably wouldn't be hanging around. Her footfalls echoed softly around the empty hallway and portraits of rather shifty looking wizards eyed her up and whispered behind their hands at her. She rounded the corner and bumped straight into the one boy she really did not want to meet. Draco, for it was he, looked suitably shocked.

"Sorry, Ginny," he said, a slight pink flush gracing his cheekbones. He could not fight the urge and his hand came up against his wishes and cradled her face, his thumb tracing the contours of her cheek. He did not know whether he was apologising for the war, the accidental crash, or the show of affection, but she had not bolted yet, despite the look of horror in her eyes that he despised himself for creating. She leant into his hand and he looked back into her lustrous eyes in disbelief. Her voice cracked gently as she spoke and a single tear formed in the corner of her eyes and slid slowly down her milky skin.

"Why, Draco, why?"

She broke away from his touch and started to run away from him down the corridor, leaving Draco standing. He did not know what to feel. A part of him wanted to run after, explain everything and give in to her justice. The more logical, sane part of him, the part that had been trained by his father, intervened, and his heart closed off again.

Ginny stepped into the quiet sanctuary of the Potions Room and looked around for her quill. A cough alerted her to the presence of someone in the room and she turned hastily. Her gaze met Snape's as he stood by the front desk.

"Miss Weasley," he acknowledged. She nodded, unsure of how to answer. "I found a certain something of yours, I believe." He held up her quill, and then a scrap of parchment. She advanced towards him and then thanked him as she held out her hand for her possessions. As he passed her the quill and the parchment, he remarked slyly, "Interesting subject matter, Miss Weasley."

She glanced down, her red hair falling like a curtain round her face and hiding her expression of shock as she saw one of her practice sketches of Draco. He was grinning, an expression she had but rarely seen, dressed in his Quidditch uniform and tossing a Snitch up in the air. She had managed to convey a sense of movement in the still picture, and his flushed face and windswept hair gave him a lively air.

"I have known young Draco since he was born, and a more vivacious young man I have yet to meet," said Snape nostalgically. "I only hope that part of him has not been submerged altogether by the rigours of duty and loyalty." His tender demeanour changed in an instant as another figure walked in. Neville Longbottom was carrying a selection of potion ingredients, and his normally amiable face was set in a strong countenance. Ginny hardly recognised him as the boy she had comforted only days before. This Neville had not broken but become steely and determined.

"Professor, where would you like me to put these," he said without fear.

"Over there if you would, Longbottom," said Snape, absentmindedly gesturing to a desk to the rear of the classroom and adding without malice, "Make sure you don't drop the Gillyweed; it's proved quite difficult to grow and we're having trouble ordering it from the suppliers."

Neville nodded, and then said, "Actually, Professor, this is a batch I grew myself in an area of the Greenhouse that Professor Sprout said I could have." Snape stalked across to him and examined the slimy weed in Neville's hand.

"Very good Longbottom, very good indeed. Nice texture and obviously healthy."

Ginny's jaw had dropped further and further throughout this conversation, and at this final remark, a Quaffle could have flown into her mouth quite easily. She babbled something about classes and left the classroom to go to Transfiguration. This day was becoming odder by the minute.

Luna and Blaise had met in an empty classroom and were simply sitting next to each other, bathing in the other's presence.

"What made you decide to trust me, Luna?" he asked cautiously. "I sometimes can't even decide whether I am on the right side myself." She squeezed his hand in hers and looked deep into his eyes.

"Some people just shine," she said without embellishment, the truth of her words hanging in the silence that followed. He kissed her then, trying to find in himself the goodness that she saw, trying to catch her pureness of heart, as if by sharing her love he would magically find himself as noble as she.

Draco had broken his mirror. He had looked into it and had not liked the man he saw in his reflection and had punched it in anger, his cool façade slipping. It had fallen to the floor in a tinkle of falling glass, its crystalline glint marred by thick droplets of rich red. The mirror could be repaired easily, but the knuckles on his right hand were left as a visible reminder of his weakness. A difficult time lay ahead, and the moment was rapidly approaching when he would have to stand up and declare his colours for all to see. They would not be yellow for cowardice, nor Gryffindoric red and gold, but his motives were veiled in secrecy until the plan came to fruition.

Ginny saw the un-bandaged hand in passing in the corridor and looked at him in concern. He sneered nastily at her, and she looked away with tears threatening her brown eyes. Harry looked at Draco in disgust and shielded Ginny from the Slytherin boy, taking her hand comfortingly and leading her away.

The morning of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin dawned clear and bright. Ginny stepped outside, her broom clutched in hands that were shaking from nerves. The cold air hit the back of her throat with a sharp shock as she gulped it in, the butterflies flying around her stomach with increased vehemence. She knew when she got on her broom that the nerves would disappear, translated into adrenaline to make her fly faster and with more verve than ever before, but still the dread sat like a heavy weight.

Madam Hooch announced the teams playing, and the cheers for Gryffindor by far outweighed that for Slytherin. The whistle blew and the balls were released. Whoever was commentating was completely drowned out by the rush in Ginny's ears, and her face set into a fierce mask of concentration. She had something to prove both to herself and to the watching crowd.

The crowd roared as the Chasers passed the Quaffle to and fro so fast it was a blur. The Gryffindors were playing amazingly well, but the Slytherins had also caught the urgent mood and had upped their game, passing smoothly and precisely.

The score was equal, and as Ginny paused to catch the Quaffle next to the goal hoops, she watched in dismay as the two Gryffindor beaters committed a foul on Theodore Nott, leaving him grimacing in pain. Madam Hooch looked horrified and sent off the pair of boys, something unheard of in the history of the sport. The Gryffindors booed heartily but the decision was upheld by the Headmaster. The Slytherins, boosted by their extra players, scored again and again, until only one more goal would allow them to win even if Harry caught the Snitch.

The sound of the crowd deafened Ginny as all the players turned to watch the Seekers as the Snitch was spotted at long last. Spotting her chance, she grabbed the Quaffle and headed for the hoop. Harry saw her out of the corner of his eye and realised if Ginny scored and he caught the Snitch, Gryffindor would win.

Her hand was outstretched until she caught a whirl of green out of the corner of her eye. She whipped around to see a Bludger cannon off Draco's back, and he dropped like a stone off his broom. Harry caught the Snitch, sealing the game at a draw, but Ginny didn't even care at that moment and she frantically flew towards the Slytherin team as Nott desperately grabbed at his Seeker's body. Thankfully, Draco's body was halted in mid-fall and Madam Pomfrey signalled to Nott to bring him straight to her.

Ginny stared at his prone body from a distance becoming more and more agitated. The sea of red around seemed oblivious to her distraction, and when she excused herself, no one noticed. She followed Madam Pomfrey up to the hospital wing at a discrete distance, and waited outside nervously, trying to eavesdrop. As her ear met the wooden door, a hand grasped her round the mouth and dragged her back into an alcove. She turned, ready to scream, then she saw Blaise's shadowed features above her.

"Ginny Weasley, do not even think about screaming," he said quietly. She nodded apprehensively.

"I will let you in to see him, but you must not be seen. Do you understand?" Ginny gazed up at him in pure astonishment then collected herself enough to nod again.

She walked into the hushed Hospital Wing, her footfalls loud but muffled. Draco lay in one of the beds, his pale skin translucent. She rushed to him and unconsciously mimicked the gesture he had given her in the hall, her hand cupping his cheek. His eyes slowly opened and a smile graced his lips as he said simply.

"You are the last person I would have expected." She smiled back at him, not knowing whether his civility was the lack of an audience or a side effect of the Bludger hit and, at that moment, not caring.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

"Pomfrey said I was lucky not to have broken anything, but apparently my back is a very pretty shade of purple," he answered, grimacing slightly.

Ginny wasn't sure what to say to him so she sat there awkwardly and tried to withdraw her hand from his face. He covered it with his own to prevent the loss of contact.

"Ginny, you know I can not be seen to acknowledge you in public," he said sadly in the quiet peacefulness that shrouded the pair. "If my father was to find out, he would disown me."

She snatched her hand away. "I don't know what you are implying," she retorted harshly. "I merely wanted to check you weren't dead. And I certainly don't care what your bloody Death Eater father thinks about anything; it's almost a shame you think so highly of him you've joined bloody Death Eater Youth." She flounced out of the room, her hair flying behind her as his eyes followed her out.

Far away from the safety of Hogwarts, the Death Eaters had just finished a strike. Lucius snatched his mask off and turned to face his master who was pacing up and down the cold stone floor. They were standing alone in a drafty room, not unlike the dungeons at Hogwarts, but this place had a far more sinister edge about it. It may have just been Voldemort's presence, but the guttering candles, tapestries of ancient battles and freezing air all added to the general ambience.

"Lucius. Where is your son?" Voldemort said slyly, his long glove-encased hands entwined round his wand.

"Still spying on the Mudbloods and Dumbledore, my lord," replied Lucius. "But he will be joining us and taking the Mark this summer."

"I have a job for him to do; I feel we should strike against the heart of the school. A couple of student deaths will shake up the complacency of the Ministry and all the other fools out there who think that Dumbledore is infallible."

Lucius nodded subserviently and said in a fawning manner, "Of course my lord, I will inform him of this immediately."

Ten minutes later, an owl flew silently through the night, its powerful wings allowing it to swoop high above the trees. It didn't stop until Hogwarts castle came into sight and it sought out one Draco Malfoy.

Ginny woke up screaming. She had been in her horse form in her dream and a black shadow had dropped onto her back. She had plunged forwards and back, trying to dislodge the evil being, but had only succeeded in driving its wicked claws into her back. Trails of blood had run in rivulets down her sweaty flanks, and just as the shadow had risen up, pointed teeth bared, she had awoken.

Her breathing calmed as she clutched the damp bedclothes. Her quilt had fallen into a heap on the floor, and when she picked it up, she stroked its softness. As she looked for the familiar animals, she gasped in horror. All the animals were clustered in fear and despair around the smallest of the pair of dogs. A green serpent had wound its tight coils around the red ruff of the Ginny dog's neck; it looked as it was choking her. She cast the quilt aside and ran frantically out of the dormitory, blinded by tears and not knowing where she was going.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Dawn found Ginny, her gentle light falling through the window onto a huddled bundle at the foot of an ancient tapestry depicting a Madonna and Child. The red-head stirred gingerly moving stiff limbs and raised her tearstained face. She remembered the horror of the night before, but as the sunlight streamed through the windows, highlighting the dust-motes suspended in the air, she found it hard to remember how truly petrified she had been. A cough from behind her caused her to start and she turned to see Harry standing in the corridor, his brow creased in incomprehension.

"Ginny, what on Earth are you doing on the floor?" He asked, giving her his hand to help her up. She stared at her feet, realising that she was only wearing a rather old tattered nightie and enormous woolly socks. Harry shook his head and escorted her to the common room supporting her elbow in the most chivalrous manner. It was only as they stepped into the portrait hole that she realised that he was also out of bed at six in the morning, on a Saturday nonetheless!

"Why are you up anyway Harry?" His eyes wouldn't meet her gaze and he looked decidedly shifty. She prodded him in the side and gave him the famed Mrs Weasley patented "Tell me everything you know or your life will not be worth living look". He sighed.

"You'll know anyway by breakfast. The Slytherins have vanished completely, Snape was worried; he had heard nothing about it from any of his sources and reckons his cover might be blown."

"What?!" Ginny whispered, her heart sinking like a stone within her chest. He had left her, after what he had said, after the drawings had shown her what kind of a man he really was. It made no sense, but the only way she could think of was that he had somehow been coerced into leaving Hogwarts. Harry seemed to read her mind.

"Evidence points to them leaving of their own accord," he said abruptly, "Suitcases packed, no struggle evident and most damning of all, no record of anyone coming onto Hogwarts grounds last night."

Ginny's face fell and she bade Harry good morning as she left to try and get some sleep before breakfast. Her mind was full of Draco as she tumbled into the warmth of her four poster bed. Her last waking though was of those mysterious silver eyes and a wishful hope that he was alright, wherever he was.

The Slytherins had had an early start and as such were extremely cranky. Upon getting the note from his father, Draco had awakened them all roughly using his wand to sprinkle cold water onto their faces.

"My father and the Dark Lord request my presence. I feel we should go en-masse to Wizarding London where they want to meet me," he had said coldly, the candlelight marking out his cheekbones and sharp features with tongues of golden light. "Hence, we leave in a few hours. I advise you to pack your stuff up now and then get some sleep."

Draco had not managed to sleep. His parchment supply dwindled as he crumpled up his failed attempts at a letter to Ginny. His owl hooted softly as he eventually tied the parchment to her leg. It had not been an eloquent message in the end, just a simple sorry, but hopefully she would understand the emotion behind it and maybe one day comprehend why he had to leave.

They had crept out of the school, broken into Hogsmeade and used the Floo Network to pop out in Knockturn Alley. Draco had cast Disillusionment charms upon all of them and then they had marched straight into Diagon Alley. Draco found it amusing to watch people parting before him without even noticing he was there, he sniggered under his breath before turning into a shabby side street lined with closed down shops and broken windows. At the very end was an office, with a small man waiting outside looking distinctly nervous. He was mousy-looking, hunched with a moustache of indeterminate colouring giving the only shape to his face. Draco removed the charms and the mass of black-cloaked Slytherins stalked into the office followed by the strange old man who upon closing it muttered a charm under his breath which locked the door firmly behind them.

Draco breathed a sigh of relief, they were safe from discovery now, at least until Hogwarts realised they were missing. He flinched somewhat as the viscous eyes of their host settled on him and the unctuous tones caused him to start.

"Draco, how nice it is to see family"

"You are not my family; let's get this business over and done with"

"Au contraire my dear boy, you really are, but we'll save that for after the "business" shall we?"

Draco's eyes widened in shock,

"You!"

"Why yes, who else would be trusted to run such a dangerous mission?"

"Bloody anyone else," he muttered, trying to suppress a twitch of the lips.

The man ignored him and clapped his hands together, disturbing Crabbe and Goyle who were comparing how hungry they were.

"All documentation to me please, and then I'll need your signatures and declaration of intent to restore the glory of the purebloods. We'll have to wait for our esteemed leader to come and witness the latter." His tone of disgust when mentioning the witness was akin to Draco's when he talked about Potter. _No love lost there,_ Draco noted. A crack in the air signalled Apparition and an unexpected sight greeted their eyes.

Meanwhile the gossips were stirring at breakfast at Hogwarts. All the Slytherins over the age of sixteen had vanished completely. One section of the table mocked them with its bare benches and full table whilst the younger pupils huddled together realising that their protection had disappeared. Open war had been impossible before, but there had been scare tactics which had thankfully been quashed by Draco, Blaise and Nott, now it would be more difficult to avoid the malicious taunts from the other houses.

Ginny watched McGonagall as she turned to the headmaster, a concerned look upon her face. He dismissed her with a shrug and as he turned back towards to Snape on his other side Ginny could have sworn she saw the quirk of his lips into the ghost of a smile. Looking across to the Ravenclaw table her best friend was looking as serene and untroubled as ever, sporting bizarre accessories and not in the least bit worried about the absence of Blaise and his housemates. Her heart eased slightly, if Dumbledore could suffer the abandonment with equanimity then surely Draco couldn't have run off to join up with Voldemort?

"Bloody sneaky Slytherins, at least we don't have to put up with their slithering presence anymore, may You-KnowWho have joy of their company!" muttered Ron, his voice rising with vehemence.

"Maybe the Aurors will take some of them out!" said Dean.

In the excited atmosphere a lithe figure left the table with only Hermione's sharp eyes watching. Harry nudged her in the ribs as he saw her eyes follow Ginny out of the Great Hall.

"She's probably just tired," he offered as consolation, "I found her asleep in the corridor this morning, think she had a nightmare."

"That's very unlike her; she normally sleeps like a log. Do you think we should be worried, Harry?"

He shrugged. Girls of all sorts were a mystery to him, even Hermione who he knew better than anyone on Earth apart from Ron.

"At least she'll get over that crush on Malfoy now" he added almost hopefully.

Ginny meanwhile had left the grounds of the school behind her. As she reflected on her recent inability to abide by the rules she smiled when she thought of the naïve little girl she had been so recently. She wished she could go back to that world of idolising Harry Potter, the war being so far removed from everyday life that all she really worried about was getting on the Quidditch team and finding something to wear that wasn't Ron's or pink. She didn't really have a plan as such, but needed to get some breathing space; her Animagus transformation had bred a longing for space into her and the castle felt too claustrophobic.

The transformation was becoming easier and easier, it was now as automatic as breathing. She inhaled as a human and exhaled out of velvet nostrils, a foot stamping on the damp vegetation with a damp thud. The forest enclosed her within darkness as the clear day was swallowed by moss covered trees. Sparse patches of light illuminated tiny star-shaped flowers Ginny recognised from Herbology and the path wound into emerald dappled distance. The peaceful atmosphere absorbed her, she felt no threat from the forest or its denizens, and oddly enough it felt more like home than Hogwarts. She meandered further and further into the forest seeming to know instinctively where she was going until it became clear what she was heading for. A clearing lay ahead, immense in its sheer size and enormous stone structure marking the centre. Sunlight streamed down onto her back as she moved cautiously into the circle of trees and changed back into her human form to graze her palm over the granite stone. It was warm to the touch, even more so than she had been expecting and this might have caused her to flinch had there not been an overwhelming feeling of wellbeing that suffused her body with its languid touch. She did not know how long she stood there, both hands pressed to the stone in supplication, but the spell abruptly broke as a voice interrupted her communion.

"Foal, what do you mean by this trespass?!"

She wheeled on one foot and realised she was surrounded entirely by centaurs, all with bows drawn and pointing towards her. Upon seeing her face, an order was barked and the bows were hastily lowered.

"How is it that you are one of us yet not?" asked a broad centaur with a thickset body.

"The stars said nothing of this." harrumphed another, his grey tail twitching in an annoyed fashion.

"Come with us child, the dusk comes." It was not a request, but a softly spoken order from the tallest centaur. Ginny hesitated but on looking into his kind, tired eyes, she followed him out of the clearing and back into the cool dark forest.

"Is Ginny poorly then?" Colin asked as the Gryffindors rushed towards the Great Hall for supper.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione but she was already on her tiptoes peering through the masses of students looking for one distinctive head of red hair.

"She just hasn't been to any lessons today, I assumed she was ill."

Ron started, his hand slipping out of Hermione's.

"I haven't seen her since breakfast!" he said, the tremor in his voice betraying him.

"I'll ask her dorm mates," offered Hermione in her logical manner, "you go and ask Neville and Luna. If no one has seen her, we'll go straight to Dumbledore"

As her distraught brother was chasing round Hogwarts having massed a search party, Ginny was lying next to a fire in the Forbidden Forest. The centaurs had accepted her as one of them as she could both think like a horse and a human. Chiron, the one who had ushered her from the clearing had settled next to her and was trying to explain the wonders of the night sky to her.

"When you are Horse, do you feel that heavy tranquillity of mind?" he asked, his voice low and soothing. She nodded.

"Look up at the sky and try and ascend to that serenity." he murmured. "What do you feel pulled towards?"

Speechless, Ginny pointed straight to an unfamiliar constellation. Chiron chuckled,

"Apt choice little one, that one was named after me, though you would know it as Sagittarius"

Drowsily she then pointed to another constellation, not taking in his words though she would later wonder about Chiron's past. His eyes followed her outstretched finger to the North. "Ah, now that is interesting" he muttered. Ginny awoke slightly at the keener tone of his voice.

"That is the constellation Draco."

"Nice doing business with you, Mr Malfoy" remarked the man smugly watching the Malfoy heir put quill to parchment. Draco sneered slightly and said "I'm doing this to preserve my family. We will have no further business after today; I do not fill people's pockets to curry favour." Pansy giggled nervously and resumed her fidgeting. It had been a long and tiresome day which had been hard on all of their nerves resulting in bad temper breaking out at inopportune moments. The final documents were signed and witnessed and placed in a secure vault which could only be accessed from Gringotts and finally Draco breathed a sigh of relief. The Slytherins gathered by the door in anticipation of freedom and the current Minister for Magic gave a nod before apparating out of the grimy little room.

"Sometimes individuals can be tracked using the stars; most are as insignificant as ants, and some shine as brightly as the stars themselves. Harry Potter is such a one as is Voldemort, but as always there are more players in this game than we will ever know. Some are motivated by greed for money or power, some for the welfare of others, or their loved ones. There are those who quietly pull strings and never are truly known for who or what they are. There is one boy whose influence will affect this war that has not been recognised yet, but he stands on the cusp of greatness. It is not yet decided where he will lead his followers but rest assured they will follow him. Let us all hope he makes the right decision." As Chiron's melodious voice dropped to a hushed whisper he gazed upwards and gently touched Ginny's arm. A shower of falling stars illuminated the sky, their cold light like pinpricks in the night.

"Your boy has made his decision. I believe it is time for you to go back to Hogwarts."

As Chiron spoke, a crack signalled Apparition and the tall form of Dumbledore stood in the firelight in front of Ginny. Her intense drowsiness waned slightly as she tried to ask him so many questions, about the stone in the clearing, Draco, the centaurs and Divination. It was all too much for her though and the Side-Along Apparition rendered her pleasantly unconscious with only Dumbledore's cryptic comment echoing in her ears.

"All will become apparent Miss Weasley. Give it time."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: I've only just worked out that I need to put an author's note in with the chapter text! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, I really appreciate it! I also put the scene breaks in this chapter (For some reason removes them when I upload the chapter) so hopefully this one will be easy to read.

I would love feedback so please review!

Albus Dumbledore sat in front of the fire in his office with his Deputy and friend sitting opposite him. He poured a steaming cup of tea from the round pot and smiled at Minerva McGonagall in a disarming manner.

'Such an English custom, this need for strong sweet tea in a crisis,' he mused as he passed her a dainty cup. 'However, if I am not mistaken, the crisis may soon be resolved without our input.'

'Albus, there is no need to act the omniscient being with me,' Minerva snapped rather sharply. 'What on earth are you talking about?'

'On the contrary, my dear friend, I must still talk in riddles. I'm only waiting and hoping for the confirmation of what I believe to be true,' Albus said quietly and without his normal humour.

A knocking came at the window and Albus rose to allow the owl access to his room, the blustery night ruffling its feathers and the parchment attached firmly to its leg. Absentmindedly feeding the owl a lemon drop, the headmaster briefly scanned the note and looked up, a quiet smile of satisfaction on his placid features.

'Minerva, I suggest you call the students into the Great Hall. We want to be sure that they receive their absent peers in the correct manner. The Slytherins return tonight in less than an hour!'

'What? How can this be? Albus, where have they been and doing what? Is this some kind of plot? What if the Death Eaters are planning to attack the school?'

'Young Draco and I have been corresponding for some time. He had an idea to preserve the status of the Pureblooded.'

Minerva interrupted. 'You helped him?'

Albus patted her hand gently. 'To preserve the way of living and the respect of the Wizarding Community, Minerva, and ultimately to sever all contact with the Death Eaters bringing disgrace to their family names.'

Her mouth dropped open, and Albus continued. 'In fact, he had a rather nice little rant about the Malfoys bowing and scraping to no one and his mother being horrified to find out about the true parentage of Lord Voldemort. He single-handedly persuaded the Slytherins to denounce their parents. The cleverest bit remains, however; Draco found an ancient clause that allows the heir of the oldest Pureblood families to come into their fortune whilst the current head of the family still lives. It requires a great deal of documentation, but with the evidence our pupils provided, all their Death Eater relatives have officially been pronounced insane and stripped of their fortune.' An onlooker would have seen the ghost of Draco's smirk cross the benevolent face of the Headmaster.

'Voldemort has lost his bankers and the statement has been made. We now have to move. I would like you to inform the rest of the school of the courageous choice made by these children, and I have some safe houses to check. Draco would be very upset if I did not uphold my promise of safe haven for those who fear retribution.'

Minerva McGonagall sat aghast, and then schooled her features into submission. She had a job to do, but she permitted herself a little giggle first. Who would have thought that Draco Malfoy, prime ferret and thoroughly obnoxious boy, could command such respect? She realised then the role the boy had had to play for the past year and reminded herself not to underestimate the hidden strength people often possessed. _Remember Peter,_ she thought, _and Severus Snape. Who could have foretold that tragic story?_

Hermione and Ron had just come back from 'patrolling.' Hermione had been reluctant to patrol alone and Ron had heroically offered to help out. However, from their rather dishevelled appearance, Harry sincerely doubted that any miscreants had been caught tonight. He had been sitting in front of the fire, trying to kid himself that the burning sensation in his scar was merely his proximity to the leaping flames. At least Voldemort was angry and not celebrating. The Order must have prevailed somewhere. That thought was enough to make him squirm in impotence as he sat in perfect safety, unable to help, 'too young' to make a difference.

_Well, Voldemort had discovered differently,_ he thought. He was glad for the interruption of his returning friends to stir him out of his introspection and forced a grin onto his rather gloomy face.

'All right, guys? Good patrol?'

Ron nodded while Hermione coloured slightly and then informed Harry of McGonagall's imminent speech.

'She said to tell everyone, and that it was nothing to panic about. In fact she said rather the opposite!'

None of the trio had noticed Ginny's tiny form still curled up on the sofa. Dumbledore had explained that she had been helping him with a project all day and was now a little exhausted. Her eyelids had flickered open and she was still in that half doze where she did not really want to announce that she was awake.

'I wonder, maybe they have caught some Death Eaters? But would that warrant an immediate talk? Surely that could wait until the morning?' mused Hermione.

'Maybe something has happened to Voldemort,' suggested Ron eagerly. Harry shook his head, unnoticed by his friends as Hermione also denied that idea.

'I heard there were celebrations all over the country last time, showers of shooting stars and fireworks and owls flying everywhere. Besides, I would imagine that she would just tell everyone right away, no need to group us all together with no idea of what we are going to be told.'

Ginny had had enough of speculation and sat up with an exaggerated stretch and yawn. Harry smiled at her.

'Hey, sleepyhead, Dumbledore really worked you hard with that special project.'

Ginny tried to act as if this wasn't the first she'd heard of it. 'Oh yes, very hard,' she acknowledged. 'I feel a bit achy from the sofa, though, so I might go and take a shower.'

Ron looked a bit shamefaced. 'I'm sorry, I was supposed to wake you, but I forgot you were there.' Offering an apologetic smile, he then remembered the imminent gathering. 'McGonagall is making some kind of speech in the Great Hall in fifteen minutes, so if you want a shower, you had better be quick!'

The bliss of the warm water on her back and running down her legs was immeasurable. She was glad no one had come too close to her in the common room. It would be hard to explain the scent of horse from being in such close proximity to the centaurs, the grass stains on her back, and in one pocket, a cube of rock that Chiron had pressed into her hand before her exit with Dumbledore.

Wrapping one towel around her wet hair and winding the other around her body, she sat in the steamy bathroom and examined the square sides of the satisfyingly heavy cube. It was curiously symmetrical with unnaturally sharp corners; when she ran her fingers over the smooth sides, golden lines traced from her fingers and illuminated star constellations engraved into the grey granite. Breaking her concentration, she jumped to her feet as she realised that she had to be in the Great Hall. Frantically, she grabbed her clothing and threw it on before running out of the bathroom, wet hair streaming like a blood red banner behind her.

A hush greeted her as she walked into the Great Hall, panting slightly, the atmosphere expectant. Sliding into a seat next to Luna, she realised that she had not spoke to her since the disappearance.

She started to speak, but Luna shushed her before whispering mysteriously, 'I have faith.' Up on the teachers table, the straight-backed figure of the Deputy Headmistress rose and her voice started to resound around the vast hall.

'Thank you for coming at such short notice. I wanted to talk to you about the meaning of courage. Who here would risk their families for what is right and what is good in this world? Some of you already are. Some are secretly working to bring down evil from within, and some have now declared their allegiance despite great adversary. Today we are expecting some returning pupils, and I expect you to welcome them with open arms as they have endangered themselves and their families to help the wizarding world.'

Meanwhile, Draco led his weary band of followers back to the castle. The old nondescript man had helped escort them back and on entering Hogwarts grounds had stopped briefly to allow a certain change in appearance. The others had gasped as the nose lengthened and blue hair grew to shoulder length. Draco had just ignored it and smiled at his cousin.

'So nice of you to join us, Dora, or is it Tonks now?'

'Draco, only your mother calls me Dora!' She smiled at the Slytherins who were now whispering behind their hands, or in the case of Goyle, eying her up. 'I just want you all to know that I personally saw all of your families into safe houses.' Murmured thanks and questions poured out of the cloaked figures, and Draco allowed the discussion before intervening and getting them all to move on. Bringing up the rear, he breathed a sigh of relief as the stone walls of Hogwarts came into view. Nott watched him slyly as he had dropped back to walk with Draco.

'Congratulations, my dear boy, you made it. We all did.'

'It was the only thing to do in the end. Voldemort and his followers are a sinking ship and I'd rather be a rat and desert than endanger the rest of my family.' Draco replied fatigued.

'Better than sitting on the fence,' Nott replied, bringing his hand up to rest on the blond's shoulder in a show of respect and support. 'We'll make it. You've got us all behind you.'

Blaise had also hung back, and his handsome face was drawn in the moonlight. 'It'll be nice to get back to the familiar routine,' he remarked. Draco's lips twisted upwards in a rather poor version of his usual smirk.

'Back to Luna, you mean.' Blaise coloured, and Nott gladly took over the banter as Draco strode ahead to lead them into the Great Hall.

A silence had greeted the end of McGonagall's speech for a minute, perhaps two. Talking broke out frantically, astonishment on everyone's lips. Ginny sat there, her hand clutching Luna's, grin firmly in place. The hubbub was finally quietened by a long bang of the doors falling closed behind a group of cloaked students. The Ravenclaws started the slow clap, followed by the Hufflepuffs, the younger Slytherins, and finally the proud Gryffindors.

Draco Malfoy led his house back to their table and they all sat as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Luna rose from her seat, suddenly the centre of attention as the blonde Ravenclaw wandered from the Gryffindor table nonchalantly, eased herself into the seat next to Blaise, and just smiled when his arm settled round her shoulders. The other residents of the table looked away as Luna planted a kiss on his cheek and smiled her approval.

Pansy glanced back to her and said, not without a hint of humour, 'This doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to Hufflepuffs or Scarhead. I'm still evil you know.'

Luna laughed aloud, and with a twinkle in her eye, started a discussion about the Quidditch Cup for which rivalries would resume. McGonagall rather sensibly decided that curfew was not going to be obeyed tonight and had asked the house-elves to bring hot chocolate and biscuits for everyone.

Ginny left the Great Hall, still grinning. She would have liked to have gone to see Draco, but the more sensible side of her had halted that notion. After all, they barely knew each other for all that felt like it had occurred. Besides, although Ron had calmed a little under Hermione's influence, her going to say hello to the Prince of Darkness would probably set him off even if he wasn't as evil as he had been painted.

Unbeknownst to her, but noted by a few sharp eyes in the Great Hall, a cloaked figure stood and followed her into the corridors. A hand grasped her arm rather harshly and she whirled around, heart beating loudly in the silence away from the rowdiness of the other students. It was Draco. She smiled sweetly and rather nervously at him, and he returned it, a quirk in his lips not often seen. An awkward silence built up as neither really knew what to say to each other.

'Well done,' she ventured.

'It had to be done,' he said, slightly coldly.

'Took courage though,' she returned, ignoring the froideur in his voice.

'No more than anyone else. I bet Precious Potter is far more courageous than I am,' he batted his eyelashes in a rather insipid way.

Infuriated, Ginny snapped, 'Oh, don't be such an arse Malfoy!'

'Malfoy, is it now? You don't know me at all, do you, Ginevra Weasley?'

'Of course I do. Not the little things, but I know what's important.'

'Then you'll know I am an arse, but not an irretrievably evil one.' Catching her and bringing her small frame to his, his arm supporting her back and one hand caught in the tresses of her still loose hair, his lips met hers.

_Oh, so this is what it is meant to feel like_, she thought as his soft lips moved against hers, sending shivers of anticipation through her body. She had never kissed anyone with whom she had such a connection, with and it made an astounding difference. The heat of his lips left hers abruptly, and before she could even steady herself on the stone wall behind her, he had vanished around the corner, cloak flapping with the speed of his departure.


	7. Chapter 7

A vase smashed into smithereens in a vast and empty mansion in Wiltshire. Lucius' bellow echoed around the ballroom in a way that had the House Elves running for cover.

"I order you to come back!" he screamed at full volume, his face turning puce with rage.

One particularly brave Elf turned in his flight and squealed, "We is not having to obey Lucius, young Master is in charge!" before ducking an evil stream of green light.

At the curse that had accompanied the wand movement, the House Elves all performed Apparation and popped out of sight. Lucius placed his forehead against the cool glass mirror which encircled the elegant ballroom. He remembered how Narcissa used to dance in here, a forlorn smile on her face as she recollected their glory days. He had never once graced the floor with his presence as his willowy wife waltzed in perfect time with an imaginary partner, unaware of his watchful eyes. The perfection of the room seemed to mock him, the whole house had an atmosphere of disapproval and it was only now he realised that the soul of the house had left.

Anger overtook resignation in a swift turnabout as he recalled the nature of his son and wife's treachery, and with one final scream, he whirled on one foot and struck his cane against the endless mirrors reflecting his abandonment. The splintering cascade travelled all the way around the room, throwing light in all directions and finally settling with a tinkle. The bare walls stared down at the defeated man crouching on the floor, still enraged, but weeping with a surfeit of emotion seldom seen in the Malfoy household.

In Hogwarts, two young girls were sitting in a cosy sitting room, just being teenagers. After all the heartache and misery of the past couple of months, Ginny and Luna were rejoicing in a spare hour and catching up on each other's lives. Ginny had told Luna all about the centaurs and had shown her the mysterious present that Chiron had given her. Luna had explained how she had believed all along that Blaise had an alternate plan that didn't involve unattractive tattooing and cowed subservience, and Ginny had finally revealed the fact of the kiss. Giggling like a normal sixth year with no troubles, she clasped her hands over her mouth as her eyes went dreamy.

"He's just so beautiful!"

"He wouldn't like to hear you say that! It's hardly macho, is it?"

"It's so weird, Luna. When I was with him, even though it was for the briefest of moments, I felt so peaceful and safe. Although all this business has made me wonder what You-Know-Who will do now, and Draco's father …" At this last, a shiver passed up her spine, her fear of Lucius nearly exceeding that which she held for Voldemort.

"Lucius will be unable to live in his house, and he will be liable for arrest if he's caught in public, as the evidence against him is pretty strong, isn't it?" offered Luna, catching the undercurrent of worry and picking up Sev and placing him in her friend's lap. The little cat stretched, his adolescent paws stuck straight up in the air. Ginny absentmindedly stroked him, his heavy purr soothing her.

"It was slightly odd how Draco ran off. You don't think he thought it was a mistake?" Ginny asked softly, a slight dampener on her memory of the kiss.

Luna smiled at her. "I don't understand your Draco, but I think you may have him for keeps now. Just be aware he won't be all sweetness and light. Blaise certainly isn't, and he hasn't had half the upbringing Draco had. I can't say any more, as it was in confidence. He'll probably tell you himself when he's ready."

"I can't even imagine my family being like that. I love them so much, even Ron! Though he does drive me up the wall sometimes."

The drone of Sev's purr filled the suddenly quiet room, and the girls companionably watched the dancing flames before Luna glanced at her watch.

"I must go and meet Blaise. He said he wanted to read the latest book Daddy sent me."

Grabbing her school bag from under the table, Luna left her cat and Ginny cuddled into the corner of the sofa and waved as she left. The Room of Requirement was fulfilling its purpose remarkably well as the warmth in the room and the ease in tension caused Ginny's eyes to droop.

It was an hour or two later that a certain blond-haired boy popped his head into the doorway and entered upon seeing her sleeping form. He sat propped against the arm of the sofa and opened his Potions textbook. Sadly, being a "good guy" didn't seem to reduce the amount of homework assigned.

It also enabled snotty little first years to come and speak to him, which he had not enjoyed. He wasn't even allowed to hex them; he no longer had the excuse and the power, which was unfortunate. McGonagall had even smiled at him in the corridor. He had done a double take and walked straight into a suit of armour, which had proceeded to swear at him in Portuguese. Blaise had had to disentangle him. It had done nothing for his image.

Frowning slightly, he turned to look at Ginny's serene face, and a rare feeling came over him. He had no idea why he was so drawn to her, but she did not seem to be interested in the side of him he was ashamed of, or the one that he was more proud of, his status in the wizarding world.

Turning back towards his textbook, he started as a noise behind him alerted him to Ginny's stirring.

"Good evening."

Her awakening had been rather pleasant, a far cry from the abrupt chorus of noise in the mornings; she murmured hello at him and settled back into a comfortable position.

Realising that now she was awake he would not get any more work done, he closed his books and came to sit on the opposite side of the sofa. She smiled sleepily and tucked her toes under his thigh before yawning hugely.

"Catch flies with that mouth, Weasley?" he taunted without venom. Sev bounced up, paw on elastic as he cuffed Draco's nose then retreated back to the safety of Ginny's side. She giggled and stroked him as the blond Slytherin's face showed surprise.

"I didn't know you had a cat, Ginny. Is he part Kneazle? He certainly seemed to understand what I said, if not the tone of my voice."

"He's not mine, he's Luna's. She called him Sev after Snape! He's definitely not part Kneazle, though. But I think he did understand your tone. He didn't have his claws out, did he?" she replied thoughtfully. Draco held out his hand to the cat and, with utter familiarity, picked him up and gave him a cuddle. Ginny couldn't quite believe it. Okay, she could come to terms with Draco being less than utter evil, but liking animals? It seemed a little bizarre, to say the least!

"You must have had cats as well as horses at home, then," she said, disarmed by the atmosphere in the room. He looked at her a little oddly, but replied with ease.

"My father approved of horses, every nobleman should have a good seat. Cats are kept to stop rats and mice getting out of hand." His face darkened ever so slightly. "I was never allowed a pet though, not allowed to get overly attached to anything like that you see."

Sensing the bad memories hovering in the room, Ginny said, "Percy is allergic to most animals, but he seems to get on alright with Penny's cat now, so I don't think the ban was entirely fair."

Changing subjects, he asked, "Did you get my note?"

"The one that literally said, 'Sorry I didn't tell you'?"

He shrugged dispassionately.

"I wasn't sure what to make of it, Draco. I had no idea that was what you were going to do. In all fairness, though, I can't understand how this happened, our friendship." She stumbled slightly over the last word.

"I liked that you saw me, Ginny, and Blaise. You didn't see a snotty arrogant prat, which, in fairness, is me as well. You only look for the good in people, and you seem to only draw what they are trying to suppress."

"Can I draw you again?"

"Only if you promise not to let Pothead see it. He'll smirk like a Slytherin if he sees me cuddling kittens."

A very peaceful evening was spent in the Room of Requirement before Ginny and Draco went off to their separate common rooms. Ginny was pleased that Sev continued to follow her. Luna had obviously told him that Ginny was cat-sitting him tonight. But she was also disappointed that despite the wonderful time she had had and their conversations which had been light-hearted and fun, Draco had not tried to kiss her. She reprimanded herself. He had enough on his plate, and it was clear from the way he spoke that he still upheld all the beliefs he had taunted her with for years. But in light of their burgeoning friendship, he had respected her enough not to mention it outright.

She stepped through the portrait hole only to see Ron and Hermione snuggled up in front of the fire, and Harry looking a bit put out. Not wanting to listen to Harry moan and feeling slightly guilty, she crossed the room to Neville who was re-potting his little house plants that brightened up the shared living space.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Fine. Look how big this Flitterbloom is!" he enthused. Ginny was glad that he was still the Neville she knew, even with his new confident persona.

"Neville, who do you know who's really good at Astronomy?" 

"I'd say Hermione. She may not be interested in Divination, but she reads a lot of books."

Ginny shifted awkwardly on her toes. "Someone who isn't Hermione?"

"Hm, go and track down a Ravenclaw. Luna will know someone."

"I'll think about it."

"What's this about, Ginny? Harry said something about you doing a special project with Dumbledore or something, if so, I'm sure he'll know, or one of the professors."

Ginny shrugged her shoulders. "I have a feeling he wants me to solve this one without too much external help. Off to the library for me, I guess!" She decided that this wasn't exactly a lie. It was just that the 'he' she spoke of wasn't Dumbledore and had four feet.

Remembering Harry's golden egg from the Triwizard Tournament, she tried putting the cube under water in the prefects bathroom. Aside from nearly being caught by a Hufflepuff prefect, all she had gained was wet robes and a nasty mental image of said prefect getting undressed. She tried looking at it in the dark, in the light, and in a moment of weakness, in the Astronomy Tower amidst several pairs of snogging couples. No joy. It still illuminated with golden constellations whenever she touched it, but that was all. She had looked up the constellations, but the sheer quantity of information had threatened to swamp her. How could she work out the importance of each constellation?

Luna had helped her with the breakthrough. Ginny finally went to her friend and asked for help. Luna listened to all she had to say and then thought quietly for several minutes, her quicksilver mind making connections many wouldn't.

"How does it make you feel?"

"The cube? How can this help?" Ginny snorted, and then quieted at a look from Luna. She rummaged in her bag and held out the cube between two clasped hands. Her eyes closed and her breathing deepened.

"I feel so calm. Like I'm part of everything and all of this is just minute in comparison to the rest of the world, and the universe …" She trailed off until Luna removed the cube from her hands.

"You were almost trance-like, Ginny!" Luna said excitedly. "Like you described when you found …"

"The clearing in the forest!"


	8. Chapter 8

Draco awoke with a start, merciful silence surrounding him as he clutched the ghost of a Dark Mark on his pale unblemished upper arm. He had dreamt of Voldemort, of his mother and of an unending sea of drowned souls all whispering at him in tortured croaks of accusation. He shuddered as he remembered. "Malfoy whelp, evil being, didn't have the courage" "Draco, you could have saved us, only you." That particular spirit had long drifting red hair and a plaintive voice. He had tried to pull her out of the water into the tiny boat but she had become less and less corporeal before disintegrating into tiny drops of rainbow shaded tears, her voice echoing on.

Seeing the sun break over the horizon he decided to take a long shower and be early to breakfast for once. It was no good trying to go back to sleep as she hovered there beyond the blessed relief to haunt him once more. Once he had thought she was Potter's mother, his supposed guilt causing him to become more aggressive and taunting towards the boy, never recognising the tiny shadow Ginny had cast behind Harry. It had only been in his fifth year that he had really noticed her and since then a burning desire had consumed him. He wanted to possess her but a part of him wanted to just look after her, for her to belong to him and be his to protect from harm. The irony was that he had more potential to hurt her that almost anyone else.

Another Malfoy was suffering; his master had not taken kindly to the idea of his personal bankroller being charged with all sorts of distasteful things, mostly completed on his own orders, and being relieved of all his worldly goods. It rankled that Draco Malfoy had got the better of his father and Voldemort himself. Both had believed him too weak and spineless to run from the Mark and Voldemort's esteemed service and his cowardice was considered to have pushed him towards the eccentric Headmaster's embrace.

"Crucio," Voldemort pronounced languidly, a slight flick of the wand inflicting pain upon Lucius, but never enough to bend his mind past the point of no return. He was actually reading a rather hefty tome but punishing Lucius was not using too much of his immense brain power. In a manner rather reminiscent of Luna Lovegood he stuck his wand behind one ear, leaving Lucius to breathe a silent sigh of relief as the crushing pain eased from his bones.

"Lucius. What do you know of the Forbidden Forest?"

"Just that there are Dark beings in there my Lord. Apart from that it is populated by filthy half breed unicorns, a giant by rumour and a flying car."

"It is possible to apparate into the forest," Voldemort mused. "Indeed, that would be the obvious route."

"The only route to get into Hogwarts, they would surely have extra protection, my Lord"

"My most loyal subject once told me that the Durmstrang envoy arrived by boat from beneath the lake for the Triwizard Tournament. A shame Karkaroff abandoned my cause but no matter. I have a few contacts in that part of the world. We shall soon find out how they breached normal security."

Voldemort slammed the book shut and indicated for Lucius to follow him as he left the room, a pitiful sight compared to the opulence of his suite in Malfoy Manor. Reminded of his recent loss, he turned his wand back on Lucius Malfoy allowing his anger to pulse towards the squirming, screaming man.

Ginny continued her research, this time into ancient stone structures and their link to historic buildings and constellations. She sent an owl to Bill asking him for his advice and had asked everyone she could think of what it could possibly signify. Another constellation was on her mind, but only because of the link with a very real Slytherin. They had met a second time in the Room of a Requirement and although she could feel the heat in his gaze he had been a perfect gentleman. In fact she rather despaired of Draco ever making a move. Luna spent a lot of time with Ginny as always, though her suggestion that Nargles had infected Draco at Christmas and explained his rather old behaviour since was met with rather short shift. Ginny sighed, laying her quill on her parchment of scribbled notes, runes and strange symbols. (Some in odd languages, some doodles of varying subjects including Sev, the cat, Snape, the human, probably, and an amusing but cruel sketch of Harry declaiming his power as "the Chosen One" while unaware that Fred and George had pulled a Wheeze on him which had given him a pig snout comparable to Tonk's finest.) Scratched out margins showed a guilty scribble proclaiming GW 4 DM that had not quite vanished under a thick layer of ink. She could not wait to meet up with him and decided to pack up, making a trip to the kitchens for a picnic.

Draco greeted Ginny with a gentle kiss on the cheeks, his manners impeccable as always. Ginny could still feel the smoulder in his touch however and wondered what it would take to break his reserve. They played chess, looked over Ginny's notes, practised some charms and eventually collapsed, barely touching, on the expanse of sofa. Sleep greeted them both gently, Draco due to his dream disruption the previous night, Ginny having researched late into the night.

The room changed abruptly around Ginny, her pleasant doze interrupted by a sudden chilly wind that whistled around the room as if trying to tear it apart and a violent tossing motion which launched her off the sofa and onto the moving floor feet away. It was as if she was seeing into Draco's nightmare with the Room had helpfully providing her with all the equipment she might need to fight against what was bothering him. A swirling sea had projected itself onto the walls and the crash sounded around her, the sofa Draco lay on was a rubber dinghy, its fluorescence incongruous in the stark greys and blacks of the terrifying waves tossing him around. The projection became so real Ginny could have sworn she could taste salt spray on her lips and then the screams rocked her out of her apathy. Wails tore into her mind, leaving panic and despair, only the thought that Draco was suffering pulled her towards the source of the noise and the feelings he was emoting. His arms were held outwards as he tried to drag empty air towards him, a wraith caught between his finger tips. Ginny ran the final few feet and flew into his arms. The wind stopped. A lull calmed the water that still sparkled around their cushioned boat and the Room righted itself as Draco came to himself.

"Ginny! Are you alright?" he asked, gripping her tightly in closer proximity than they were used to.

"Fine, how are you?" she replied in a blasé manner, making no attempt to remove herself from his grasp.

Satisfied that she was safe and with the after-effects of the nightmare causing a wash of adrenalin, Draco brought her closer still and allowed the fire within him to take hold. He kissed her ferociously, firmly and with the passion she had recognised in his eyes. She responded, her lips moving frantically and with less finesse than usual as she was consumed by desire, her silky hair suddenly brushing against her back as he pulled her shirt over her head. Grateful now for the pretty underwear Hermione had given her for her birthday, Ginny watched his expression as he beheld her for the first time, his eyes darkened and breath heavy as the milky skin was revealed, constrained by sapphire coloured silk.

"You are unbelievably beautiful," he murmured, before leaning forwards to gently kiss and nibble along her collarbone.

"Here," she demanded, pulling him closer so that she could start to remove his jumper, heavy, soft wool in direct contrast to the smooth hardness of his body underneath. He was supple under her fingertips, giving little gasps when she touched him in his more sensitive places. As he reached for the button on her jeans, he felt her tense.

"We should stop," he said reluctantly, but trying not to show it.

"I'm sorry Draco," she replied nervously, avoiding his glance by turning sideways and staring downwards, inadvertently giving him a wonderful view of the curve of her back as it led from her tiny waist into her generous hips barely disguised by low-slung jeans.

"What are you apologising for girl?" he asked, rather abruptly. "I thought we just had an amazing time together."

"We did," she agreed. "But.."

"But nothing." he retorted. "We haven't even been on a date yet," he added softly, drawing her close and playing with her hair, glowing in the firelight as it spilt onto his chest. She kissed him with less intensity but with so much feeling that he felt as if his heart would crack into two from the power of his emotions.

"I forgot." he said rather sheepishly after they broke the kiss.

"Forgot what?" Ginny asked dreamily.

"To ask whether you'd be my girlfriend."

"Go on then."

"I was hoping you'd just agree, don't tell me you want a speech now," he joked.

"Of course Mr Malfoy, we do like to do things properly after all!"

Draco looked at her intently, his mercury eyes meeting her dark and lustrous eyes. "It's funny isn't it; we seem to be doing this all back to front. Ginevra, you are the most beautiful, spirited woman I have ever met, will you please accompany me to Hogsmeade or some equally stimulating place to go on a proper date?"

"Yes," she smiled, "Can I have another kiss now?" His familiar smirk reappeared as his lips touched hers.


End file.
